Higher Education Systems and Institutions, Ireland

Ireland has been an independent country since 1922 although Northern Ireland, consisting of six counties in the north east of the island, remains part of the United Kingdom. The economy has evolved from being predominantly dependent on agricultural production to one with a large services sector and a significant modern industrial sector. This development has been facilitated by a high level of foreign direct investment. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973. The population, 4.7 ml in 2016, has fluctuated in response to variations in economic growth and consequent migration flows. Large-scale emigration has long been a feature of Irish society, the major reversal occurring in the late 1990s and early noughties with a booming “Celtic Tiger” economy. During this period large-scale immigration occurred, and by 2011 17% of Irish residents were born outside Ireland. The country experienced a major recession in 2008 which resulted in the resumption of net out-migration over the...