Episode 2 - Ireland’s Place in Europe and the World: Ireland and the Eu at 50

Since Ireland’s accession to the European Economic Communities (EEC) in 1972, Ireland’s place in Europe and the world has been profoundly transformed. Ahead of joining what was to become the EU, Ireland was relatively isolated on the global stage, and its priorities were oriented towards the critical focus of Anglo-Irish relations centred on Northern Ireland, followed by the US, with relations with the Vatican a distant third. Irish membership of the EEC was initially framed in the context of joining a common market which promised economic prosperity and development and has since evolved into a deeper political union. This prosperity, economic openness, and greater interconnection with Europe and the world served to change Irish society and percolated into Irish foreign policy over time. This discussion explores how European accession transformed and changed Irish foreign policy, and how it served to deepen Irish ties with our European neighbours, transformed Irish society and helped to encourage Ireland to play a greater role on the global stage. This interview, with Mary Whelan, Noel Fahey, and John Neary, reflects on the evolution of Irish foreign policy since Ireland’s accession to the EU in 1973.