The Big Picture
Vincent Boland: Fifty years on from joining the EEC, we have many reasons to celebrate
In 1973, Ireland was a dismal place with a declining population and poor life expectancy; in the 50 years since as Europeans, we have become richer, healthier, we live longer and are better educated
Fifty years ago, at a second past midnight on January 1, 1973, Ireland took the most decisive step in its republican history. The moment arrived after years of full-throated debate, a couple of false starts, and a resounding expression of the people’s will that was matched in later years only by the affirmation of the Good Friday Agreement.
The moment was when, half a century ago, we joined the European Economic Community, the step that ...