This issue of History Ireland touches on some aspects of Ireland’s connection with Germany and the German-speaking parts of Europe. It came about by accident. The editors received a number of German-related articles and decided to commission a few more to fill out a whole magazine (Our review section will resume as usual in the next issue). In another sense this development was of course not accidental at all. The fact that we received unsolicited copy on this subject shows not only growing scholarly interest in Irish-German relations but also the increasing importance of the relationship itself. What we present here is neither a comprehensive overview nor a potted history. Rather it is a series of tantalising glimpses of a complex relationship as it unfolded over time.
We would like to thank the German Embassy, the Goethe Institute, the ESB and the Institution of Engineers of Ireland for their assistance and cooperation. We would also like to thank the following for their generous sponsorship:
Motor Import Ltd – BMW
Montgomery Oppenheim
Commerz Bank
Deutsche Bank Ireland plc
Dresdener Bank (Ireland) plc
Siemens
West LB
Rheinhyp Bank Europe Plc