Ireland

Abstract

"The history of Ireland is reflected in the history of its forests. The rural idyll which characterises external perceptions of Ireland belies a land which is one of the most deforested in Europe, and whose deforestation has been, to a significant extent, a manifestly political phenomenon. Ireland, never itself a colonial power, was long a colony of another European nation (Britain). This dependent status, and the injustices and hardships which accompanied it (most notably the Great Famine of 1845-9), have had their influence on Irish attitudes to humanitarian aid. They have contributed to the solidarity which many Irish people feel with the developing world, a solidarity underwritten by Ireland's long history of missionary work and its prominent role in international peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs."