Irish business at serious risk of losing its mojo

WHEN Michael Collins visited London he must have been impressed by the scale and sophistication of that city. After all, in that time the British Empire was at its zenith while Ireland was a poor offshoot that was a handy source of food and labourers for doing the roads.

Yes, it would have been easy for him to accept conventional wisdom of that period and let the Irish blend in to Britain.

How could he possibly imagine the creation of an independent economy, with its own grown up finance market capable of competing with the mights of Britain plc?