Rocky history of our right to natural riches

The 1937 Constitution removed Irish citizens’ rights to the natural resources of their nation that are enjoyed by the citizens of other countries the world over, writes Vincent Salafia

SINCE time immemorial, the practical reality of kingship or sovereignty over a nation has involved a system whereby the leader of a particular dynasty or group takes power over national resources, then plunders and divides them between his relatives and supporters.

It happened under ancient Irish kings, and then in earnest under the Norman feudal system, beginning in 1169.