Ireland through European eyes : Western Europe, the EEC and Ireland, 1945-1973 / edited by Mervyn O'Driscoll, Dermot Keogh, and Jérôme aan de Wiel.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

O'Driscoll, Mervyn.

FitzGerald, Maurice.

De Wiel, Jérôme aan, 1966-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

Ireland--Foreign relations--Europe.

Ireland.

European Economic Community.

Europe.

Physical Description:

xxii, 478 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cork, Ireland : Cork Univ Press, 2013.

Summary:

How did Western European governments and peoples perceive Ireland as a nation and a state and how did that knowledge influence their foreign policy calculations? This collection of studies reveals how Belgian, French, Italian, Luxembourg, Dutch and West German politicians, policymakers, diplomats and commentators perceived independent Ireland from the end of the Second World War until Irish accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973. The analysis draws on a wide range of diplomatic, press and personal papers from across Europe to illuminate this underexplored aspect of contemporary Ireland. The essays reveal how Irish humanitarian relief to a ravaged continent created a positive impression in Western Europe. Personal and cultural connections also played a role. To a degree such factors moderated some negative European perceptions of independent Ireland in the late 1940s and 1950s as backward and isolated, or removed from the European mainstream in terms of economics, society, security and foreign policy. The evolving attitudes of the Six and the EEC institutions to the Irish application for EEC membership are examined in detail. The issue of European relations with Ireland is a perennial one. Post-war European appraisals of Ireland as a prospective partner in the EEC are topical as today Ireland's economic and political future is rooted in the fortunes of the Euro. This study, based on the official sources of the Six and the EEC, in addition to Irish government archives, will appeal to policymakers, popular audiences and academics from many different disciplines. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 West Germany / Mervyn O'Driscoll O'Driscoll, Mervyn 9

2 France / Christophe Gillissen Gillissen, Christophe 75

3 Italy and the Holy See / Aoife Keogh Keogh, Aoife, Dermot Keogh Keogh, Dermot 128

4 The Netherlands / Jérôme aan De Wiel De Wiel, Jérôme aan 190

5 Belgium / Jérôme aan De Wiel De Wiel, Jérôme aan 245

6 Luxembourg / Jérôme aan De Wiel De Wiel, Jérôme aan 291

7 The Commission, the Council and the Irish Application for the EEC, 1961-73 / Jérôme aan De Wiel De Wiel, Jérôme aan 314.

ISBN:

9781859184646

1859184642

OCLC:

475454950