This book interprets the relationship between Ireland and the European Union (EU). We are coming up to 50 years since Ireland acceded to the EU (2023), and the links between the two are unique and distinctive. The volume presents an original interpretation of Irish-EU relations, and this in turn has implications for a wider understanding of the EU. Its aim is to analyse the Irish-EU relationship from the idea of two apparently contradictory political ideas – internationalism (as represented by European integration in this particular instance) and nationalism (long the dominant value in Irish politics). The authors argue that to date the contradictions have been managed with considerable ease, leading us to characterise the Irish-EU relationship as “nationalism within internationalism”.
Author(s): Michael Holmes, Kathryn Simpson
Series: Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 146
City: Cham
Preface and Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Authors
Abbreviations and Irish Terms
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Imagined States: Nationalism and Internationalism
Introduction
Theories of Nationalism
Nationalism in Ireland
Internationalism and Integration
An Unlikely Mixture?
Ireland and Internationalism
Chapter 2: At the Crossroads: Ireland’s Path to Europe
Introduction
Irish Nationalism in a Divided World
The Internationalisation of Ireland
From Internationalism to Integration
The 1972 Referendum
From Nationalist Isolation to Nationalist Integration
Chapter 3: Hopes and Handouts: Adapting to Membership
Introduction
Adapting to Accession
New Initiatives and Challenges
The Stalling and Relaunching of Integration
Adaptation to Integration, Adaptation of Nationalism
Chapter 4: A Tiger in the Zoo: Growth and Greed
Introduction
A New Europe
A New Ireland
Referendums and the Pesky Public
A New Nationalism Outgrowing Integration?
Chapter 5: The Bonds that Tie: Crisis and Cooperation
Introduction
From Boom to Bust: Banks and Bailouts in Ireland
Politics, Protests and Public Opinion
Economic Recovery, External Crises
The Brexit Crisis: Everybody Needs Good Neighbours
Nationalism in Internationalism: The Need for Self-Reflection
Chapter 6: Four Green Fields and 12 Gold Stars: Nationalism in Internationalism
Introduction
Ireland’s Relationship with the EU
Future Challenges for Ireland and the EU
A Vision for Europe
References
Index
