"Irish Politics Today" was written by Neil Collins and Frank McCann. This book was written in 1989 so it is a little out of date. It provides a good outline of the history of Ireland, from when Ireland got its independence to the present-day government. The book was very interesting and kept your attention the whole way through. The book covered every aspect of Ireland in a very general manner. There were not very many specific names other than the Presidents and the Taoiseach.
             Chapter One looks at the history of Ireland starting with its two jurisdictions Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Ireland got its independence in 1922. The book refers to the Republic of Ireland as the "Republic." Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. When the republic got its independence the island was divided into thirty-two counties. The Republic controlled twenty-six of those counties. France and America had a huge influence on the people of Ireland resisting the British. The first attempt to gain independence was in 1798. Wolfe Tone attempted to overthrow the British, but he failed both militarily and politically. The Great Famine between 1845 and 1851 killed one million people. This famine was a result of a failure in the potato crop. Around this time is when many Irish people came to America for new hope. In 1918 the parliament was formed called Dail Eireann by Sinn Fein the party that won the majority of seats in the 1918 election. The two major political parties today are Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The Irish constitution was formed in 1937. This was when De Valera was the leader of Fianna Fail and the Taoiseach or Prime Minister. Ireland in the World economy is in the semi-periphery or intermediate in status. Industry is locally owned and financed. Their economy in 1900 was dependent on agriculture and is weak because of their lack of raw materials. Ireland's main export was live cattle to Britain. After Ireland got its inde...