The object of waves of invasion from Europe, the Emerald Isle has been inhabited for 9,000 years. England began seizing land in the 1100s.
British troops enforce U.K. sovereignty in the Protestant-dominated districts of Northern Ireland.
Although sectarian violence has claimed 3,000 lives since 1969, hopes for a lasting peace rest on a 1994 cease-fire. Every year 30,000 Irish leave for the U.K. and North America a flight from joblessness reminiscent of the famine-driven exodus of the 1840s. Yet declining inflation and budget deficits may indicate a healing economy, as this European Union member promotes trade, foreign investment, and new industries such as electronics. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Since the 1980s, inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade deficits have been transformed into annual surpluses.