ON OCTOBER 25th John Bruton and Bertie Ahern, two former Irish prime ministers, appeared before a committee in Britain’s House of Lords to discuss the impact of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union on its western neighbor. Both men were sombre. Brexit, said Mr Bruton, might deal Ireland’s economy an even heavier blow than Britain’s—even though, as he added wryly, “we had no say in that decision.” Since 1973, when both countries joined the EU’s precursor, the European Economic Community, Irish businesses have become intertwined with British ones, said Mr Ahern. Unpicking those ties would be “devastating”.
The first blow has already fallen, says Fergal O’Brien of IBEC, a business lobby group. As sterling has weakened, exports to Britain have become less competitive, and imports from Britain cheaper. Britain takes two-fifths of Irish-owned firms’ exports, and a similar share of all agricultural exports. Beef and dairy farmers are struggling, and several of Ireland’s mushroom farms, which export four-fifths of their produce to Britain, have already closed. The pain will worsen as sterling’s fall and Brexit-induced business uncertainty hit…
