Guests of the Nation: The People of Ireland Versus the Multinationals

Ireland of the thatched cottages, of the quiet rural ways and of literary and musical charm is changing beyond all recognition. As it moves into the world of the EEC and its economy burgeons, big industries cast covetous eyes at the relative lack of planning regulations and the easy conditions for investment. This book chronicles how the big chemical multi-nationals have found a country, conveniently placed, in which they may pursue their dangerous trade with little need to concern themselves with the fate of communities around them. From Bantry Bay to Donegal, asbestos factories, dangerous toxic chemical incinerators, effluent mines and a host of other chemical hazards are swiftly poisoning what was, until recently, the least polluted country in Europe. The companies are facing an increasingly angry public who refuse to allow their health and even their lives to be jeopardized for the sake of other people's profit. The author emphasizes the point that what is happening in Ireland concerns everyone, pollution has a way of crossing borders.