An Intelligent Persons Guide to Modern Ireland

The Republic of Ireland, described variously as "The Emerald Tiger", "The Celtic Tiger" and "The Tiger Economy of Europe", is apparently one of the great success stories of 20th-century Europe. Just 75 years into independence, less than 40 years from the stygian blackness of pre-modernity, and only a decade from what seemed to be an economic apocalypse, Ireland has finally modernized. With a young population and economic growth rates the envy of the western world, it should offer a model for all fledgling states to follow. In this unsentimental account of the recent history of his native country, John Waters defines the nature of the ideology which fuelled the drive to modernization, charts the progress of the policies which brought it to fruition, and reveals how Ireland recreated itself culturally, politically, spiritually and economically, as "Modern Ireland".