Task 1. Read the text and make a quiz concentrating on one of the following aspects: political life, economy, culture.

Legislative authority is vested in a bicameral legislature known as the Oireachtas. This is composed of a 166-member lower house (the Dail) and a 60-member senate (the Seanad). The members of the lower house are elected for terms of up to five years by proportional representation. The Dáil is the primary of the two houses. While government administration and policy may be criticised in both houses, the government is responsible to the Dáil only.

Eleven members of the senate are selected by the prime minister and six members are elected by the universities. The remaining 43 members of the senate are elected by an electoral college consisting of about 900 members from the county borough councils, county councils, the lower house and the senate. The elected members of the senate are chosen from candidates representing national culture, labor, agriculture and fisheries, public administration and social services, and commerce and industry. The senate may not veto legislation enacted by the lower house and is otherwise restricted in authority.

The President of Ireland is elected by direct vote from the people for a term of seven years. While the president doesn’t have any executive powers, the role is more than a ceremonial one. The President has certain powers, which make him or her essentially the guardian of the Constitution and may choose to exercise these powers on the advice of the Government or Council of State. Áras an Uachtaráin had a colourful history before becoming the Official Residence of the President of Ireland. Built in 1751 Situated in the 1,752 acres of the Phoenix Park near Dublin, the original house was built by Park Ranger Nathaniel Clements. By 1782 it had been acquired for use by the Viceroys who oversaw British rule in Ireland. Clements received £25,000 for the house. The house continued as the official residence of the Viceroys until 1922. For much of the period of Home Rule that followed it was the residence of the Governors General, the Crown’s representatives in Ireland as a member of the Commonwealth. In 1938 it became the Official Residence of the President of Ireland and has been used for that purpose since. The house is the setting for many public functions. Though it is not fully open to the public, some 15,000 people visit it each year.

The Irish Government consists of not less than seven and not more than fifteen members. The government of Ireland is based on the constitution of 1937, as amended. This document proclaims Ireland a sovereign, independent, democratic state. The constitution also defines the national territory as the whole of Ireland. The country became a republic in 1949. Executive power under the Irish constitution is vested in the government (cabinet). The government, responsible to the lower house of the national legislature, is headed by the prime minister. This official is nominated by the lower house and appointed by the president. The members of the government head the various administrative departments, or ministries. They are nominated by the prime minister and, subject to the approval of the lower house, appointed by the president. The president of Ireland is the head of state and is elected by direct popular vote for a 7-year term.

Judicial authority in Ireland is vested in a supreme court, a high court, a court of criminal appeal, and circuit and district courts. All of the judges of these courts are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the government. Irish law is based on Common Law and is enshrined in the Constitution of 1937. Statutes passed by the British Parliament before 1921 also have the force of law unless they have subsequently been repealed or have been found to be unconstitutional. Justice is administered in the public courts. Judges are usually senior figures in the legal profession.

Local Government: County councils, county borough corporations, borough corporations, urban district councils, and town commissioners are charged with responsibility for most locally administered services, including health and sanitation, housing, water supply, and libraries. Members are elected to these local bodies by popular vote, generally for 5-year terms. Local executive organization is based on the manager system. A central appointments commission in Dublin chooses the executive manager of local authorities byexamination. Local government generally is supervised by the department of local government.

Departments of State are assigned to members of the Government, with a Minister occasionally being responsible for more than one department. Ministers are assisted in the administration of these departments by Ministers of State who are not members of the Government. Civil Servants assist in the running of each of the fifteen Departments of State and are appointed through public competition.

The main political parties. The system of proportional representation by which members are elected to the lower house favors a multiplicity of political parties representing special interests. In recent years, however, four parties have emerged as the most powerful: Fianna Fáil, which has been in Government more times than any other party, Fine Gael, The Labour Party, The Progressive Democrats. Other political parties are: The Green Party, Socialist Party and Sinn Féin.

The police service, Garda Siochána (Guardians of the Peace) was established in 1922. Today the force has approximately 11,450 members. The Garda are headed by a government appointed Commissioner and are answerable to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The economy of Ireland has been traditionally agricultural. For centuries it was an agricultural potato growing country. Later Ireland’s agriculture became more diversified. Nowadays, the agricultural enterprise producing the most income is animal husbandry. In the late 1980s livestock included some 5.6 million cattle, 4.3 million sheep, 960,000 hogs, and 55,000 horses. Poultry production is also important. The principal field crops are wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes. Among other important crops are hay, turnips, and sugar beets. The best farmlands are found in the east and southeast. Ireland became a member of the European Community (EC) in 1973, thus expanding the market for the country’s important agricultural exports.

Since the mid-1950s, however, the country’s industrial base has expanded, and now mining, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities account for approximately 37% of the gross domestic product and agriculture for only about 12%. Private enterprise operates in most sectors of the economy. Among the food-processing industries, the most important are meat packing, brewing and distilling, grain milling, sugar refining, and the manufacture of dairy products, margarine, confections, and jam. Other important manufactured articles include office machinery and data-processing equipment; electrical machinery; tobacco products; woolen goods; clothing;cement; furniture; soap; candles; building materials; footwear; cotton, rayon, and linen textiles; hosiery; paper; leather; machinery; refined petroleum; and chemicals.

Imports in the late 1980s totaled about $14.6 billion annually, and exports, including re-exports, about $18.4 billion. The major trading partners of Ireland include Great Britain, Germany, the United States, France, and Japan. The most important exports include electric and electronic equipment, livestock, meat, dairy products, chemicals, and textiles and clothing; about two-thirds of all exports are to EC countries. Imports are primarily machinery, transport equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, cereals and foodstuffs, textiles, and iron and steel. Tourism has been effectively promoted and has increased steadily in importance. By the late 1980s, some 2.7 million tourists annually generated approximately $1 billion for the economy of Ireland. Transportation and Communications: Ireland has 2700 km (1680 mi) of railway track, all operated by the state-owned Irish Transport Company and linking all important points on the island. The highway system totals about 92,300 km (about 57,350 mi), of which about 94% was paved. Navigable inland waterways total about 435 km (about 270 mi).

The government of Ireland has undertaken extensive schemes of reforestation in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on timber imports and to provide raw material for new paper mills and related industries. In the late 1980s forestland occupied nearly 5% of Ireland’s total area; the annual output of roundwood was 1.2 million cu m (42.3 million cu ft).

The fishing industry, which has traditionally been underdeveloped, is expanding; the annual catch in the late 1980s was some 247,400 metric tons. Deep-sea catches include herring, cod,mackerel, whiting, and plaice. Crustaceans, particularly lobsters, crawfish, and prawns, and such mollusks as oysters and periwinkles, are plentiful in coastal waters and form the bulk of the country’s seafood exports. The inland rivers and lakes provide excellent fishing for salmon, trout, and eel.

Although mining plays a relatively minor role in the Irish economy, discoveries of new deposits in recent decades have led to a considerable expansion of mineral production. Annual mineral output in the late 1980s included about 45,000 metric tons of coal, 177,000 metric tons of zinc, and 33,800 metric tons of lead. Ireland is one of the leading exporters of lead and zinc in Europe. Natural gas is extracted off the southwestern coast; yearly output in the mid-1980s was 1.6 billion cu m (56.5 billion cu ft). Peat is dug in large quantities for domestic and industrial fuel and also for horticultural purposes; annual output in the late 1980s was 6.3 million tons. Ireland has diversified manufacturing, most of it developed since 1930.

The Central Bank of Ireland, established in 1942, is the bank of issue. Associated with the Central Bank are the leading commercial (or associated) banks with their networks of local branches. Mergers have reduced the number of these associated banks. On the other hand, the number of merchant banking houses has increased, and leading North American and continental European banks now have offices in Dublin. Trusteebanks and the Post Office Savings Bank mainly serve small individual accounts.

Dublin and Cork are the manufacturing, financial,and commercial centers of Ireland. Dublin is the most important seaport; Cork is the main port for transatlantic passenger travel. Other significant ports include Dun Laoghaire, Waterford, Rosslare, and Limerick.International airports are located at Shannon, Dublin, and Cork, and several international air-transport systems provide regular service between Ireland and majorcities throughout the world. Around the free port of Shannon are factories producing electronic equipment, chemicals, plastics, and textiles.

year in the 1950s to more than 4.5 percent in the late 1960s. It was officially reported in 1964 that more than 200 factories had begun production since 1955, most of them with foreign participation. A second plan began that year with a goal by 1970 of a net increase of 50 percent in the gross national product over the 1960 level. The improving economic circumstances were regarded as the main cause of a decline in emigration, ending a population decline that had continued unabated for more than a century. Political Developments. With economic stability came a new measure of political stability and a decline in traditional anti-British feeling. As early as 1957 Prime Minister Costello, who regarded the terrorist activities of the IRA as damaging to relations with Great Britain and tending to prolong the partition of Ireland, had called for forceful action against the organization. Costello was defeated for re-election, but early in 1958 his successor, De Valera, publicly agreed that unity could not be achieved by force. In June 1959, De Valera,at the age of 77, was elected president. Opposition to IRA activity, plus a decline in the active membership, led to the announcement in February 1962 that the group had abandoned violence. Nevertheless, Ireland continued to suffer occasional acts of terrorism.

Nowadays, the Irish economy is an open, mostly export based economy that has experienced an unprecedented level of growth during the latter half of the 1990’s. It is expected that this growth will continue at least for the first decade of this century, as long as a skilled labour force continues to be available. Agriculture engages about 70% of the land and 13% of the workforce. The raising of dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry is the chief agricultural enterprise. Among the leading crops are flax, oats, wheat, turnips, potatoes, sugar beets, and barley. The republic’s industries now account for almost 40% of its GDP and 80% of its exports, and employ more than a quarter of its workforce. Products include such items as computer and telecommunications hardware, computer software, linen and laces (for which Ireland is famous), Waterford crystal, food products and beverages, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, ships, iron products, and handicrafts. Lead and zinc are umined, and oil and natural gas are produced offshore.

The Irish economy is heavily dependant on trade, with export of goods and services amonting to over 96.8% of GDP (1999 figure). Membership of the European Union and access to the Single Market has allowed Ireland to diversify its trade patterns. Although Britain has always been Ireland’s largest single trading partner, almost half of all Irish exports now go to the other EU member states.