LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Ireland: Irish Volunteers
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For hundreds of years, Ireland wanted nothing more than to be left alone. And for decades after the country’s independence from Britain in 1921, politicians led Ireland down a path of protectionism and isolationism… right into decades of depression. They cut off trade and kept out efficient non-Irish businesses.
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This period in Irish history has been called "the long peace" and indeed for nearly one hundred years, there was little political violence in Ireland, in stark contrast to the previous two hundred years. Nevertheless, the period 1691-1801 began and ended in violence. By its close, the dominance of the Protestant Ascendancy that had ruled the country for 100 years was beginning to be challenged by an increasingly assertive Catholic population. However, the violence of the 1790s had shattered the hopes of many radicals that the old sectarian divisions in Irish society could be forgotten. Presbyterians in particular largely abandoned their alliance with Catholics and radicals in the nineteenth century. Under the leadership of Daniel O'Connell, Irish nationalism would in the future be a more exclusively Catholic phenomenon.
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One popular card puts St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland on a golf course with a golf club. The card reads: St. Patrick, driving the snakes out of Ireland. Hope your St. Paddy's Day suits you to a tee. "American Greetings ... covers those with more than one occasion to celebrate on March 17," says Gallo. A good thing since there seem to be a lot of lucky babies born on the Irish holiday, including actors Rob Lowe and Kurt Russell and singer Nat King Cole. "The line includes St. Patrick's Day birthday cards as well as romantic St. Pat's wishes and cards for kids and family, among others."
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By the late 18th century, many of the Irish Protestant elite had come to see Ireland as their native country. A Parliamentary faction led by Henry Grattan agitated for a more favourable trading relationship with England, in particular abolition of the Navigation Acts that enforced tariffs on Irish goods in English markets, but allowed no tariffs for English goods in Ireland. From early in the century, Irish parliamentarians ... campaigned for legislative independence for the Parliament of Ireland, especially the repeal of Poynings Law that allowed the English Parliament to legislate for Ireland. Many of their demands were met in 1782, when Free Trade was granted between Ireland and England and Poynings Law was amended. Instrumental in achieving reform was the Irish Volunteers movement, founded in Belfast in 1778. This militia, up to 100,000 strong, was formed to defend Ireland from foreign invasion during the American Revolutionary War, but was outside of government control and staged armed demonstrations in favour of Grattan's reforming agenda.
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Food is expensive in Ireland, although quality has improved enormously in the last ten years. Most small towns will have a supermarket and many have a weekly farmers' market. The cheapest option for eating out is either fast food or pubs. Many pubs offer a carvery lunch consisting of roasted meat, vegetables and the ubiquitous potatoes, which is usually good value. Selection for vegetarians is limited outside the main cities. Modern Irish cuisine emphasizes fresh local ingredients, simply prepared and presented (sometimes with some Mediterranean-style twists).
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It is ... a substantial public health issue in western countries and more so in Ireland, where, shockingly, it is the most common cause of death among young men today. Twenty years ago an Irish family physician might have seen one patient, every 3 years, who would have died by suicide. Now, it is increasingly common for doctors to have two to three patients a year take their own lives. In 2002, over 8,500 people were treated in hospital for self-inflicted injuries, with some of them in their pre-teens. At any given time 300,000 people in Ireland suffer from depression.
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