The impact of devolution on everyday life, 1999-2009 : the case of crossborder commerce

This paper examines the impact of cross-border cooperation on everyday life in an era of devolution since 1999. The argument is made that the island of Ireland has moved from the process of fracture and friction that Conor Brady memorably described for the period after 1920 into a more cooperative relationship between North and South. The paper details the work of the North-South institutions since 1999 with a particular emphasis on the work of InterTradeIreland. At the everyday level it draws on statistical sources to reflect on developments within areas such as cross-border tourism, trade and student flows. In each it can be seen as a case of “some work done, more to do”.