ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the economic and political impact of foreign-financed mineral development in Ireland. During the period 1820–80, copper, lead and zinc mining occurred on a large scale in Ireland, but by the late 1870s the industry was in decline, and by 1885 mining of non-ferrous metals had almost entirely ceased. A credible explanation for the Irish government’s behaviour has not been advanced to date. Critics of the legislation have claimed that Irish politicians served the interests of international mining companies without any concern for the national welfare, and that the twenty-year tax exemption was simply the most blatant example of this tendency. The Irish government’s approach to the mining industry now becomes fully comprehensible. Irish politicians, therefore, had scant regard for their own bargaining position or for the ability of Irish authorities to exercise expertise in the mining field.
