Editing Republic of Ireland (section)

===Recent history===
[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|In 1973 Ireland joined the [[European Economic Community]] along with the United Kingdom and Denmark. The country signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.]]

Ireland became a member of the [[United Nations]] in December 1955, after having been denied membership because of its [[Irish neutrality during World War II|neutral stance]] during the Second World War and not supporting the [[Allies of World War II|Allied cause]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/review-ireland-at-the-un-memories-of-the-early-years-by-noel-dorr-26673946.html |title=Ireland at the UN |work=Irish Independent|date=22 August 2010 |access-date=12 November 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716113300/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/review-ireland-at-the-un-memories-of-the-early-years-by-noel-dorr-26673946.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, joining the UN involved a commitment to using force to deter aggression by one state against another if the UN thought it was necessary.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/a-frank-account-of-irelands-un-affairs-26663319.html |title=Ireland's UN affairs |work=Irish Independent|date=26 June 2010 |access-date=12 November 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716123540/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/a-frank-account-of-irelands-un-affairs-26663319.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Interest towards membership of the [[European Communities]] (EC) developed in Ireland during the 1950s, with consideration also given to membership of the [[European Free Trade Area]]. As the United Kingdom intended on EC membership, Ireland applied for membership in July 1961 due to the substantial economic linkages with the United Kingdom. The founding EC members remained sceptical regarding Ireland's economic capacity, neutrality, and unattractive [[protectionist]] policy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/EU/eu.htm |title=National Archives – Ireland and European Unity |publisher=Nationalarchives.ie |access-date=12 November 2010 |archive-date=1 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101084325/http://nationalarchives.ie/topics/EU/eu.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Many Irish economists and politicians realised that economic policy reform was necessary. The prospect of EC membership became doubtful in 1963 when French President General [[Charles de Gaulle]] stated that France opposed Britain's accession, which ceased negotiations with all other candidate countries. In 1969 his successor, [[Georges Pompidou]], was not opposed to British and Irish membership. Negotiations began and in 1972 the [[Treaty of Accession 1972|Treaty of Accession]] was signed. A [[Third Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|referendum was held later that year]] which confirmed Ireland's entry into the bloc, and it finally joined the EC as a member state on 1 January 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/ireland_in_the_eu/index1_en.htm |title=Joining the European Community |publisher=European Commission |date=31 July 1961 |access-date=12 November 2010 |archive-date=6 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606010430/http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/ireland_in_the_eu/index1_en.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The economic crisis of the late 1970s was fuelled by the [[Fianna Fáil]] government's budget, the abolition of the car tax, excessive borrowing, and global economic instability including the [[1979 oil crisis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/1998/985.pdf|title=Taxations And savings in Ireland|last=O'Toole|first=Francis|author2=Warrington|work=Trinity Economic Papers Series|publisher=Trinity College Dublin|page=19|access-date=17 June 2008|archive-date=24 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624202457/http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/1998/985.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> There were significant policy changes from 1989 onwards, with economic reform, tax cuts, welfare reform, an increase in competition, and a ban on borrowing to fund current spending. This policy began in 1989–1992 by the Fianna Fáil/[[Progressive Democrats]] government, and continued by the subsequent Fianna Fáil/[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour]] government and [[Fine Gael]]/Labour/[[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]] government. Ireland became one of the world's fastest growing economies by the late 1990s in what was known as the [[Celtic Tiger]] period, which lasted until the [[Great Recession]]. Since 2014, Ireland has experienced increased economic activity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nie/nie2017/summary/ | publisher = CSO | title = National Income and Expenditure 2017 (Figure 1.1 Growth Rates) | access-date = 6 September 2018 | archive-date = 6 September 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180906195352/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nie/nie2017/summary/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the Northern Ireland question, the British and Irish governments started to seek a peaceful resolution to the violent conflict involving many [[Paramilitary|paramilitaries]] and the [[British Army]] in Northern Ireland known as "[[The Troubles]]". A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the [[Good Friday Agreement]], was approved in 1998 in referendums north and south of the border. As part of the peace settlement, the territorial claim to Northern Ireland in [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland]] was removed by referendum. In its white paper on [[Brexit]] the United Kingdom government reiterated its commitment to the Good Friday Agreement. With regard to Northern Ireland's status, it said that the UK Government's "clearly-stated preference is to retain Northern Ireland's current constitutional position: as part of the UK, but with strong links to Ireland".<ref>{{cite report| work = Cm 9417 | publisher = HM Government | title = The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union | date = February 2017}}</ref>