-=Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach=-

Instructions

As the world approaches the 25th century, Ireland approaches its 600th year as a singular, united polity. For 479 years, the Republic of Ireland has overseen the nation, acting impartially on the international stage, partaking in limited commerce with the powers of the Earth, serving as the bastion of Western European democracy while France, Britain, Spain, and Germany all fell before the tyranny of radicalism and despotism. Ireland has been a beacon of stability and continuity. One government proceeding almost entirely uninterrupted for 5 centuries. Empires have risen, civilizations have fallen, ideologies have been born and annihilated, religions have been ordained and liquidated, and all the while, Ireland has observed wearily, hiding behind its sacred ideals and national pride. Ireland has been spared the direct consequences of horrific warfare, in large part thanks to the Neamh-Idirghabháil policies established in 2037 by An Chéad Junta. It is not to say, however, that the nation has not suffered dearly. From economic implosion brought on by the disruption of global trade, to environmental concerns, to the horrific refugee crisis that annihilated state resources in the late Contemporary period. The idea of Doras Dúnta (closed-door economics) would protect the isle from some of the repercussions that the globe-wide economic disruption had brought in the late 21st century, yet it also left the Irish economy permanently weak. Ireland, never having been an Island of much resources, struggled through the 22nd and 23rd centuries, the Republic holding on by a thread, in part thanks to advances in science and technology that helped alleviate the stress of isolationism. Still, discontentment grew among the nation, and political division grew. The government’s power waned as its resources were sucked up by corrupt officials, political gridlock, and a vicious pseudo-war against radical terr*rîst elements. Ireland’s diverse political system rotted away as coalitions and mainstream parties fragmented into dozens of bickering groups that did little. It was under this pretext that the Second Junta emerged. Elements of the army and the ISOC (the Irish Special Operatives Corps, a branch of Army Ranger Wing, founded to counteract *** terr*rîsm) briefly came to hold the reins of government. The designs of the would-be despots were initially benign in nature, but their rule came to be marred by horrific massacres and atrocious misallocations of resources. For many, it reinvigorated respect for the republic, reminding them that while the democracy was imperfect, they’d rather suffer under of their own volition than under the thumb of some tyrant. And so in 2294, the Second Irish Civil War emerged, with the Republicans rising to face the enemies of democracy. Ultimately, bolstered by their promise to reform and open up the island, the Republicans triumphed. The war was bloody and long, but it opened the door for innovations that would grant the Republic a lease on life. Ireland, traditionally an extremely unitary state, would be allowed to shift towards a hybrid model that embraced some Federal policies, like regional autonomy. The process of loosening the hold the central government had over individual counties would allow for more efficient responses to the constant resource shortages that came to be common after the 2030s. The island would also be opened up to imports once more, and the Irish scientific community would see a new age of flourishing development as they came to be exposed to new methods and technologies. These late-century reforms would help to carry Ireland into a new golden age throughout the early 2300s. Contentment and happiness rose for the first time in centuries, and Northern Ireland would be fully integrated into the Republic (Stirring up a LOT of problems, but shhh). However, as with all good things, this eventually came to a brutal end. The chaos of the mid-century, the new Ice Age, the rise of the Dominion of America, and the decline of North Atlantic trade once more brought Ireland to its knees. The isle remains precariously balanced, and it seems as though history is destined to repeat itself. Much like the terrible 21st century, the 24th is shaping up to be dreadfully destructive and painfully uprooting for the Irish nation. Global warfare only continues to increase in frequency, defying the Contemporary trends that were meant to signal humanity’s progress. Ireland has endured 1600 years of horrors at the whims of foreign powers, but as always, the nihilists posit: This time, the nation will not get up, this time, it will fall. Only time will tell if the Republic of Ireland sees another century, if it will fall like so many before it. Like the tide, polities rise... and fall.