The story of the elite who led Ireland from bust to boom ... and back to bust again Having money and not having it; making it and losing it; using it and misusing it; giving it and taking it ... this is the story of Ireland during the boom, described in jaw-dropping detail in Who Really Runs Ireland? Leading journalist Matt Cooper identifies the most influential people in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger era, describes how they interacted with each other to mutual benefit, and reveals who were the few to retain their power amid the debris arising from the bursting of the Irish economic bubble. 'Highly accessible and akin to a good thriller ... fascinating ... compelling' Sunday Tribune 'Hugely entertaining as well as instructive' Irish Independent 'Impressive and eminently readable' Irish Times 'An eye-opener ... you might be driven to tears of rage' David McCullagh, RTE 'The detail is riveting ... and a lot of it illuminating'Irish Examiner 'The scale of Cooper's research is highly impressive ... an in-depth reference guide to folly and hubris' Sunday Business Post 'Complex but surprisingly reader-friendly ... a rattling, and frequently horrifying, read' Hot Press 'Superbly readable and insightful ... a must-have' Irish Mail on Sunday

Having money and not having it; making it and losing it; using it and misusing it; giving it and taking it . . . this is the story of Ireland during the boom, described in jaw-dropping detail in Who Runs Ireland? Leading journalist Matt Cooper has consistently broken stories that the powerful would prefer had not been disclosed. Now, he identifies the most powerful people in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger era, describes how they interacted with each other to mutual benefit, and reveals who are the few to retain their power amid the debris arising from the bursting of our economic bubble. In particular, Cooper focuses on the role of new-found wealth in Ireland and examines how the volume of money sloshing about influenced the exercise of power, sometimes in ways that were to the detriment of the larger society. Cooper reveals stories you will not have read before, makes the connections you may not have spotted and provides insights and explanations to stories you may have forgotten that uncover what really goes on.

Contemporary Irish Documentary Theatre is the first anthology of Irish documentary drama. It features five challenging plays by Irish writers, and one by an international author, interrogating and commenting on crucial events of Irish history and of the diaspora, with introductory essays by established academics. Together these plays represent the most innovative development in contemporary Irish theatre and illuminate the social and political realities of contemporary Ireland. The first two plays, of 2010 and 2013, deal with scandals of clerical and institutional abuse, and use as source material the Ryan Report of 2009, and the documents from the 2008 Irish Bank Guarantee. The next two, of 2014 and 2013, concern interpretations of the most iconic moment of Irish history: the Easter Rising. The first of these is based on published statements of participants in the event and the second on the lived experiences of those in the contemporary Republic whose founding ideals have not been realized . The last two plays, of 2015 and 2016, widen the view to the history of the Irish in the diaspora: one retelling the history of emigration to England based on published research material; and the other tracing Roger Casement's experiences in the Amazon and his subsequent participation in the Easter Rising using extracts from his diaries and other writings. The plays included and discussed are: No Escape by Mary Raftery Guaranteed by Colin Murphy Of This Brave Time by Jimmy Murphy History by Grace Dyas My English Tongue, My Irish Heart by Martin Lynch The Two Deaths of Roger Casement by Domingos Nunez

Brings together academics and practitioners to present an overview of the development and current shape of political communication in the Republic of Ireland from a multiplicity of perspectives and sources.

The political economy of the Irish welfare state provides a fascinating interpretation of the evolution of social policy in modern Ireland, as the product of a triangulated relationship between church, state and capital. Using official estimates, Professor Powell demonstrates that the welfare state is vital for the cohesion of Irish society with half the population at risk of poverty without it. However, the reality is of a residual welfare system dominated by means tests, with a two-tier health service, a dysfunctional housing system driven by an acquisitive dynamic of home-ownership at the expense of social housing, and an education system that is socially and religiously segregated. Using the evolution of the Irish welfare state as a narrative example of the incompatibility of political conservatism, free market capitalism and social justice, the book offers a new and challenging view on the interface between structure and agency in the formation and democratic purpose of welfare states, as they increasingly come under critical review and restructuring by elites.

A collection of stimulating essays exploring the wide-ranging debates surrounding the relationship between business and society in 21st century Ireland. Wide-ranging, diverse and thought-provoking contributions from leading business researchers, economists, sociologists and political scientists from Ireland and abroad probe five central themes: the making and unmaking of the Celtic Tiger; governance, regulation and justice; partnership and participation; the nature of Irish borders in Ireland, Europe and the wider world; and interests and concerns in contemporary Ireland. Irish Business and Society takes a critical look at Ireland as one of the most open and globally integrated economies in the world, with the activities of Irish and Irish-based foreign business impacting on both national and international societies and businesses; discusses the relationships between business and society within the context of the wider Irish and European, political economy; presents the Irish economic decisions and conditions that precipitated the current recession in Ireland and the resultant lessons to be learned; and examines the relationship between Irish business and society today, contemplating how it might develop into the future. Essential reading for students of Irish Business, Economics, Sociology and Politics, those taking Irish Studies courses and anyone interested in contemporary Ireland. The contributors are: Nicola Timoney, Frank Barry, Mary P. Murphy, William Kingston, Niamh M. Brennan, Rebecca Maughan, Roderick Maguire, Gillian Smith, Conor McGrath, Connie Harris Ostwald, Kevin O'Leary, Jesse J. Norris, Olice McCarthy, Robert Briscoe, Michael Ward, Helen Chen, Patrick Phillips, Mary Faulkner, John O'Brennan, Mary C. Murphy, Breda McCarthy, Marian Crowley-Henry, John McHale, Kate Nicholls, Gary Murphy, Geoff Weller, Jennifer K. DeWan, Patrick Kenny, Gerard Hastings, Margaret-Anner Lawlor, Karlin Lillington, John Cullen

Based on detailed comparative case studies, this new volume from a leading international group of authors reveals fundamental differences in the economic and political ideology underlying the the six Anglo-Saxon 'liberal market economies' (LMEs), and how this determined their relative resilience in the face of the global financial crisis.