Ireland
A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, approved in 1998, has not yet been implemented.
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern from the Fianna Fail Party has been in a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats since 1997. He continued in the role following general elections in 2002 when the coalition became the first government to win re-election in Ireland in over 30 years. Voters were impressed by the Ahern government's record in building a prosperous economy and by his contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process. Ahern recognizes the tremendous boost Ireland has received from being a member of the EU and he favors further enlargement and closer integration. He suffered a setback in 2001 when Irish voters rejected the Nice Treaty in a referendum, but was saved from even greater embarrassment in October the following year when a second referendum endorsed it. One of Ahern's main challenges is maintaining the feel-good factor in a country where people have grown used to prosperity.
Political instability in Northern Ireland often is perceived by some as extending to the Republic of Ireland. In reality, there has been little spillover of violence into the Republic over the years. Prospects for violence in Ireland have further diminished since peace negotiations began in the late 1990's. (See the United Kingdom Country Risk Assessment for more information on Northern Ireland.)
There are currently no known threats to visitors or expatriates in Ireland, which has accelerated its growth from a largely agricultural society into a modern, technologically advanced and growing economy.
Ireland boasts a low rate of violent crime and is hospitaable toward visitors.
