Great points and well said!
There is also this. The standard of living there has improved substantially and I wonder if the average irish gives their turn to the left credit for that.
The reality, though, is that their increased economic well-being is due mostly to a very conservative policy - slashing their corporate taxes to the lowest in Europe and thus attracting a bunch of multinationals to set up shop there.
Meanwhile, the EU has been pressuring Ireland to “harmonize” (raise) their corporate tax rates, which will wipe out their competitive edge completely.