The recent European Parliament elections have brought the question of the role of Ireland in Europe to the forefront. Bombastic slogans adorned the leaflets of the European candidates, pledging to rightfully bring Ireland to the European orbit or to protect the country from the clutches of the mainland-based bureaucrats. Whatever the stance, it seems that the Ireland-Europe dichotomy is particularly entrenched, indubitably enhanced by our insular condition. Let us, however, try to shed some light on these identitarian questions.The first question to ask is: “What is Europe?” We encounter the first obstacle geographically, since the geological continent is Eurasia. Traditionally and instinctively, one tends to place the limit of Europe in the Urals and the

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