One of my vacation habits is to get a book about the place I’m visiting, which is how I found myself on the spectacular Atlantic coast of Ireland last month and distributed through a copy of Fintan O’Toole’s We Don’t Know Ours: The Personal History of Modern Ireland. O’Toole is a well-known Irish journalist who has used his life since 1958 to tell the story of the changes that took place in the beautiful country on the northwest edge of Europe.
Although I know Ireland was a bad place for European standards until recently, I didn’t realize how poor it is. As O’Toole wrote, in life memory, Ireland is “a huge cattle ranch with several cities.” After World War II, two-thirds of homes were still out of electricity, and until 1961, most rural houses lacked indoor toilets or hot water. In 1961, the population of Ireland only 2.8 million, Nadir After decades of decline, it can be traced back to the 19th century.
However, the countries I visited have become one of the most prosperous and educated countries in Europe: a largely free, progressive society that now attracts immigrants rather than loses them. The Irish themselves would say that this is still far from perfect, but when O’Toole was born in 1958, few could have predicted it.
One of my goals in terms of good news is to refute our bias against bad headlines by focusing on slow and complex improvements that are often missed over time. Over the past 70 years, the arc of Ireland has captured the story like other countries.
From poverty to prosperity
Then: Gross National Income (GNI) in Ireland in the early 1970s – Average Individual Income Nearby $2,000 is a small, basically based on the economy of agriculture, and more than twice as many as the United States.
Now: Ireland modified GNI has soared About $60,000 is largely due to its successful attracting a lot of foreign investment, especially from major tech companies such as Meta and Apple. (Economists use modified per capita GNI precisely because these multinationals transfer most of their profits to Ireland, partly for tax reasons; the modified GNI divestment better reflects the actual income of Irish households and businesses.)
From short lifespan to long life
Then: 1961, Life expectancy is about 70 yearsand infant mortality 30 people linger in every 1,000 children – This number can be with us today A poor country like Laos.
Now: Life expectancy Climbing to about 83 yearsAlthough the infant died, 3.4 per 1,000 people. Now, almost every Irish child has the opportunity to live a long and healthy life.
From mass immigration to net immigration
Then: Immigration has always been part of the Irish story because Irish Americans like me know it very well. But this is not just a phenomenon in the 19th century. Until the second half of the 20th century, Ireland was still in trouble because it did not work for them at all. In the 1950s, An estimated 15% of the country leaves.
Now: The situation has changed to a large extent. About 12% As of 2022, the country’s largest export in Ireland is the place where Irish people are now, and today it has become a place where capital, ideas and people are attracted.
From dropping out to college graduate
Then: In the mid-1950s, O’Toole wrote that data showed that more than 80% of students left school at the age of 14, partly because most families could not afford the cost of secondary education. But this began to change in 1966, when the Irish government decided to get secondary education for free. For a generation of Irish children like O’Toole, his father was an unskilled manual laborer and opportunities changed lives.
Now: By certain standards, Ireland Can claim to be a well-educated country in the worldwhose population is between 25 and 64 years old, has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
From closed conservatism to open liberalism
Then: Ireland was governed by highly conservative laws in the early 1970s: homosexuality was criminalized, divorce was banned, and abortion was unimaginable. The Catholic Church examines popular culture, while women have few rights: If they get married, they will not be able to retain government work, buy birth control pills, and often cannot drink a pint of beer in a bar.
Now: Ireland’s social progress is greater than its economic progress. More than 60% of countries vote Marriage equality in 2015, and two-thirds voted for abolition The constitutional ban will be conducted in 2018. The Catholic Church completely withdraws from the control power, in large part because of the shocking revelation of abuse. How far is Ireland? Leo Varadkar, a gay son of Indian immigrants in 2017 – Become Ireland’s Doysach or Prime Minister.
Then: Northern Ireland Swallowed In thirty years of trouble, the conflict has claimed more than 3,500 lives, most of which are civilians suffering from explosions, shootings and political violence. This trauma spreads to the borders, leaving daily life enveloping the two economies.
Now: Since 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Officially recorded crime drop sharply – 2024 – ’25 Only see 95,968 sins In Northern Ireland, it is the second-highest level since 1998-99. What is almost invisible now is the border between the north and the south.
The story of Ireland’s progress is not an uninterrupted story. In the past 70 years Hammer The Irish economy leads to widespread suffering. But even so, Ireland has achieved success in bounce than many of its fellow Europeans. It’s part of the good news story – not to ignore crashes, but to align them with the long-term record of human progress. The story of Ireland, all the detours and their new problems, e.g. Severe housing crisisit is such a case study.
The version of this story originally appeared in The Good Newsletter. Register here!
