Ireland, The Anglosphere and The EU

The purpose of this note is to offer some insights into the realities of Ireland’s political and economic relationships and attendant risks following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. It suggests the possibility of non- consensus outcomes as part of the analysis and examines what events could trigger these.

Ireland joined the EEC in 1973-the same year as the UK. Right from the start, Ireland viewed its membership as a once-in-several-generations opportunity to upgrade a hopelessly underfunded infrastructure and diversify its economy away from over-reliance on the agricultural sector, through attracting foreign direct investment. As a strategy it was largely successful on both fronts, with the EU making significant transfer payments over an extended period.