Wal-Mart

[24]. Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in Ireland. He has since plead guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return related to embezzlement and theft from Wal-Mart while serving as a member of its board. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the ageing network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. Former members of the board of directors of Wal-Mart include Hillary Clinton (1985-1992), who also worked for Wal-Mart as a lawyer, [22] and Tom Coughlin, who went on to be vice chairman [23]. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. The presence of unions and the difficulty obtaining building permits are two possible reasons for this lack of success. It is estimated to generate 10% of Ireland's energy needs when it is complete.

In Germany, however, after eight years in the market, Wal-Mart's yearly revenue is still less than one-tenth of the leading retailer, EDEKA. Recently what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. ASDA in the United Kingdom is the largest of the international businesses by sales. There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Dollars):. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe. Current store counts and revenue for Fiscal Year Ending January 31, 2005 (revenue amounts in U.S. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the Republic, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations.

Wal-Mart operates 5 major retail formats under 3 retail divisions:. Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous power at peak load. He believes that Wal-Mart is merely a symbol of capitalism and success that leftists attack in order to associate capitalism with "exploitation" and "unfairness" to further their own big government/socialists objectives. The Corrib Gas Field in Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore. He compares this criticism to the same attacks upon Hummer SUVs while ignoring the issues with many other gas guzzling competitors like old cars the poor could only afford. Most of Ireland's gas comes from the Kinsale field. According to Jay Nordlinger of the National Review, criticism of Wal-Mart is more about what Wal-Mart represents; the sucess of capitalist enterprise and how Wal-Mart is the largest retail store in the world rather than what it actually does. The natural gas network is also now all-island, with a connection from Antrim to Scotland.

Specific areas of controversy include the company's product selection; treatment of suppliers, competitors, and employees; impact on local communities, and effects on world trade and globalization. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s. Some praise Wal-Mart for benefiting consumers, while other criticise it for being harmful to employees, the community, the economy, and the environment. Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected by Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) through Great Britain to mainland Europe. [20]. For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. [19] And, this savings has the largest effect on the poor since the average Wal-Mart customer earns $35,000 a year, compared with $50,000 at Target and $74,000 at Costco. Dublin Bus specifically serves the greater Dublin area and a company called Metro operates services within the greater Belfast area.

However, that $4.7 billion is overwhelmingly offset by the $263 billion it has saved Americans from spending from 1985 to 2004, ($2,329 per houshold) according to a Global Insight study. Nowadays, the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the South and Ulsterbus in the North, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. The efficiencies created 210,000 jobs that would not otherwise exist, but at the same time reduced take-home pay for all retail workers (including the company’s competitors) by $4.7 billion. The year 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horsecar service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick. Wal-Mart increased net consumer purchasing power by $118 billion in 2004. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collecting tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 10,000 mile (16,100 km) road network. Additional findings from the Global Insight study include: Wal-Mart increased the US economy's overall productivity by three-quarters of a percent by highly efficient distribution systems and pressure on suppliers to be more efficient. Northern Ireland has historically had better main roads, while the Republic of Ireland has an increasing motorway network, focused on Dublin and the east coast.

The study indicates that "nominal wages are 2.2% lower, but given that consumer prices are 3.1% lower, real disposable income is 0.9% higher than it would have been in a world without Wal-Mart." (Global Insight Study). The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, despite the low quality of many of these until recently. Also in that time period, it is responsible for the creation of 210,000 net jobs for the economy. Unfortunately, tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. From 1985-2004, Wal-Mart "can be associated with a cumulative decline of 9.1% in food-at-home prices, a 4.2% decline in commodities (goods) prices, and a 3.1% decline in overall consumer prices" and, that this has saved consumers $263 billion in that time frame ($2329 per household). As with Britain, motorists must drive on the left in Ireland. economy (Several notable economists oversaw the study, including both political conservatives and liberals [18]). In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland Railways, part of Translink.

A 2005 study by Global Insight, the world's largest economics organization, that was commission by Wal-mart found that the company has had a positive net economic impact on the U.S. The scheme is being run by Connex under franchise from the RPA. In 2004, the University of California, Berkeley published a study which asserted that Wal-Mart's low wages and benefits resulted in an increased burden on the social safety net, costing California taxpayers $86 million.[17]. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to Metro. Basker's study did not distinguish between low-paying and high-paying jobs. Additionally, a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers within city limits. Basker concluded that the net change in the number of jobs was not significant. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART, pictured left) links the city centre with surrounding suburbs.

Basker found an average decrease of 30 retail jobs in neighbouring counties and 25 wholesale jobs in the entered county. In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation in the city and its immediate vicinity. Half of this increase disappeared as other retail establishments closed over a five-year period. Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Railways) and connect most major towns and cities across the country. Basker found that Wal-Mart's entry into a county increased net retail employment in that county by 100 jobs in the short term. This company has a narrow gauge railway of 1,200 miles (1,930 km). A 2002 study[16] by Emek Basker of the University of Missouri examined the impact of Wal-Mart on local employment. Ireland also has one of the largest freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna.

The next largest employer employed the parents of less than 800 children in the program.[15]. The broad gauge of 5 foot 3 inches (1,600 mm) was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were narrow gauge (3 ft / 91.4 cm) railways also. More than 10,000 children who qualified for the program had parents working at Wal-Mart. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. In 2002, the state of Georgia's survey of children in the state's subsidized health care system, PeachCare, found that Wal-Mart employed more of the parents of these children than any other employer. The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received British Government funding in the late 19th century. Dean found that point out that though Wal-Mart openings cause some small businesses to close by offering lower prices, it also creates opportunities for other small businesses and that as a result, "the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has no statistically significant impact on the overall size of the small business sector in the United States" (the researchers also claim that the Stone study is flawed) [14]. Belfast City and City of Derry Airport mainly provide flights to Great Britain.

Sobel and Andrea M. Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove) provides routes throughout Ireland, Great Britain, Western Europe, and recently, daily transatlantic service to Newark (in New Jersey, United States). In 1997, Stone found that small towns "lose up to 47 percent of their retail trade after 10 years of Wal-Mart stores nearby."[12] In [2003], Stone collaborated with collaborated with Georgeanne Artz, also of Iowa State University and Albert Myles of Mississippi State University to show that there "are both positive and negative impacts on existing stores in the area where the new supercenter locates."[13] A study by Russell S. In Northern Ireland there are three main aviation facilities. Stone of Iowa State University has published several studies on Wal-Mart. There are several smaller regional airports in the Republic (Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock International Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport) that mostly limit their services to Ireland and the United Kingdom. Kenneth E. Shannon is an important stopover on trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations.

Several studies have been conducted to determined the nature and extent of this effect. The Irish national airline Aer Lingus and low-cost operator Ryanair are based at Dublin. As Wal-Mart is an enormously large business, it has a significant impact on economies, especially in the United States. All provide extensive services to the UK, continental Europe and North America. Deaver who formerly worked on behalf of Ronald Reagan, Leslie Dach who worked on behalf of Bill Clinton, and Robert McAdam who worked on behalf of the Tobacco Institute [11]. The three most important international airports in the Republic are Dublin Airport, Cork International Airport and Shannon Airport. Operatives hired include Michael K. Nigerians, Chinese and people from other African countries also make up a large proportion of migrants to Ireland.

Edelman has set up an internal "war room", a rapid-response public relations team, staffed with high-profile political operatives to respond to negative media attention. A high standard of living, high wages and EU citizenship attract many of the migrants from the newest of the European Union countries. It was reported in the New York Times on November 1, 2005 that in response to increased criticism the public relations firm Edelman had been retained. Ireland has also had large numbers of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. In 2005, Wal-Mart officials embarked on a public relations campaign to counter some of the criticism it receives, through its public relations website as well as through television commercials which show employees who have had a medical emergency and have been sent by Wal-Mart to the Mayo Clinic. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the largest source of immigrants from Eastern Europe, followed by other migrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Latvia. Different explanations have been offered for this success:. The island also has a small Jewish community (See History of the Jews in Ireland), although this has declined somewhat in recent years.

Its stock has dropped more than 20% since then, closing under $50 in August 2005. The Irish Muslim community is growing, mostly through increased immigration (see Islam in Ireland). Since then its stock has climbed from 5 cents (split adjusted) to a high of $63 in March 2002. The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. Wal-Mart went public in 1975. Ireland's largest religious denomination is Roman Catholicism (about 70% for the entire island, and over 90% for the Republic ), and most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations. Sam Walton's family's holdings in Wal-Mart if combined would comprise the nation's largest fortune; at $100 billion combined they are significantly ahead of Bill Gates. Culturally however, the Irish are undeniably Celtic.

Wal-Mart also does 20 percent of the retail toy business. Both positions are difficult to confirm because the information is relatively new. $51 billion). Others theorize that the pre-Celtic population of Ireland may have had roots in common with the Basque people. Wal-Mart is now the largest grocery chain in the U.S., with 14 percent of all grocery sales -- nearly twice the sales of Kroger ($95 billion vs. Some theorize that, although Basque is certainly not a Celtic language, there may have been Celto-Basque cultural contact on the Iberian Peninsula. workers.[5] According to Wal-Mart's website, Wal-Mart provides insurance to more than 1 million people.[6]. Although for many years the Irish were believed to be of Celtic origin, recent DNA evidence shows that both the Irish and the Welsh (and to a much lesser degree Scotland and England) have many genetic traits in common with the people of the Basque region.

According to an October 2005 article in BusinessWeek, Walmart's health insurance covers 44% or approximately 572,000 of its 1.3 million U.S. However the greater part (80%) of the Irish population descends from the original inhabitants of the island who came after the end of the Ice Age. At some Sam's Club these employees inspect the contents of the shopping carts of exiting customers. Over the last 1,000 years, there have been influences by the Vikings, who founded several ports, including Dublin, and Normans, with some admixture to the gene pool. All Wal-Mart stores in the United States have employees referred to as "People Greeters." They welcome people to the store and help prevent shoplifting. Early historical and genealogical records note the existance of dozens of different peoples (Cruthin, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Éoganacht, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few). Wal-Mart refers to its employees as "associates," and encourages managers to think of themselves as "servant leaders." Each shift at every store, club, and distribution center (theoretically) starts with a store-wide meeting where managers discuss with hourly employees daily sales figures, company news, and goals for the day. Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the neolithic inhabitants of the island.

However, this proposal was rejected by the city councillors [4] on June 28, 2005 for several reasons including worry over the possible negative impact to small businesses and a potential increase in traffic as customers drive longer distances to go shopping. This achievement evokes mixed feelings in many Irish people. This design, too, included wind turbines, geothermal heating and collecting rainwater. The Republic has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition with seven wins. An environmentally-friendly design for a Wal-Mart in Vancouver, BC, Canada was proposed. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Canadian Loreena McKennitt. Critics, such as the Institute for Local Self-reliance [3], while acknowledging that the features in the new stores are an improvement, still contend that Wal-Mart practices increase driving, and that it has a poor record of locating stores on environmentally sensitive sites, especially wetlands. There are also contemporary music groups that stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Gaelic Storm, Lúnasa, and Solas.

The buildings also include many other energy and cost-saving technologies. Nevertheless, Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Recently, Wal-Mart has designed two experimental stores [2], one in McKinney, Texas, the other in Aurora, Colorado, which feature wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, and biofuel-capable boilers. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of bands and individuals like U2, Clannad, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Boyzone, Westlife and The Pogues. The WFF has also donated to advocacy groups promoting school privatization, such as a $3 million donation in 2003 to the Knowledge Is Power Program. During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. From 1998 through 2003, the WFF contributed $25,000 to the Heritage Foundation, $15,000 to the Cato Institute, $125,000 to the Hudson Institute, $155,000 to the Goldwater Institute, $70,000 to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, $300,000 to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, $185,000 to the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, and $350,000 to the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison and even Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound.

Also in 2004, Alice Walton donated $2.6 million to the Progress for America PAC, which supported the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Irish and Scottish traditional music are similar. Walmart's company political action committee, the second largest corporate donor to the GOP, gave away $2.1 million in 2004, compared to $100,000 in 1994. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Sweeney's Men and individuals like Sean Ó Riada and Danny O'Flaherty. The Walton Family Foundation (WFF) gave away $106.9 million in 2003, twice as much as in 2000. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. According to the November 21, 2005 issue of The Nation, recently both the Arkansas-based company and the Walton family have elevated their charitable giving. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas.

About $1.5 million in emergency aid was given to displaced employees, and employees displaced by the storm were offered work at Wal-Mart locations elsewhere in the country. The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. An emergency contact website was set up by Wal-Mart to help locate displaced persons, accessible by Internet and at every store in the country. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy. In addition, an estimated $3 million in merchandise was donated to victims in several states, and in some cases the corporation was able to provide supplies before the federal government. The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. These donations made it the largest single corporate contributor.
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After the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster on the United States Gulf Coast, Wal-Mart donated $2 million to the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross and $15 million to the Bush-Clinton Hurricane Katrina Fund for a total of $17 million. His 1922 novel Ulysses is sometimes cited as the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century and his life is celebrated annually on June 16th in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations. More than 90 percent of cash donations from Wal-Mart Stores and the Wal-Mart & SAM'S CLUB Foundation target local communities. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. The typical Supercenter channels $30,000 to $50,000 a year to local causes and events. In more recent times, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Unlike most corporate donors, Wal-Mart does not provide a figure for its corporate contributions; instead Wal-Mart's reported contributions include those made by its customers in a larger aggregate figure. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century; Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, etc.) and remains so in modern times amongst both children and adults.

In 2004, cash donations to non-profit organizations by Wal-Mart, its employees, and its customers made through Wal-Mart, the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Sam's Club Foundation totaled more than US$170 million. For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. According to a New York Times story, it is seen by 130 million people a month, making it the fifth largest network in America, behind NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox. Prominent Irish sporting stars include:. The Wal-Mart Television Network is an in-store network showing commercials for products sold in the stores, concert clips and music videos for recording artists products sold in the stores, trailers for upcoming movie releases, and news. Kildare, which is just outside Dublin. By focusing on a small number of low-cost products, and siting their retail operations in extremely convenient locations (primarily very small towns which cannot support a Wal-Mart as well as low-income areas of larger metropolitan areas), retailers such as Family Dollar and Dollar General have successfully competed head-to-head with Wal-Mart for home consumer sales. The 2006 Ryder Cup will be held in the K Club in Co.

Due to Wal-Mart's success in selling consumer goods and its necessary focus on more expensive items (and larger population areas) to increase revenue, a niche has been carved out of Wal-Mart's dominance by several shrewd retail corporations ^[1]. Golf is an extremely popular sport in Ireland and Golfing Tourism is a major industry. Chief competitors of Sam's Club are Costco, which is slightly larger than Sam's in terms of sales, as well as the smaller BJ's Wholesale Club chain operating mainly on the East Coast. Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. Wal-Mart's move into the grocery business has also positioned it against major grocery chains such as Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, Giant Eagle, Safeway and dozens of local grocery chains. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the central east of the Republic. Wal-Mart's chief competitors in the discount retail space nationally include Sears Holdings Corporation's Kmart chain and Target, Best Buy, along with many smaller regional chains such as Meijer in the midwest. The Republic is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs.

Wal-Mart stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland: greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. In 2003 McLane Company was sold to Berkshire Hathaway. The IFA still retains All-Ireland cups and trophies at its Belfast HQ. In 1990 Wal-Mart acquired The McLane Company, a foodservice distributor. The Republic of Ireland made it to the World Cup in 1990 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1994 and 2002. In the past, Wal-Mart operated dot Discount Drugs, Bud's Discount City, Hypermart*USA, OneSource Nutrition Centers, and Save-Co Home Improvement stores. Northern Ireland qualified for the Football World Cup finals in 1958 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986.

This purchase has been approved by Seiyu Group shareholders and The Seiyu will be consolidated into Wal-Mart International in FYE 2006. It was not until 1950 that FIFA directed the Associations to only select players from within their respective territories, and in 1953 FIFA further clarified that the FAI's team was to be known only as "Republic of Ireland", and the IFA's team only as "Northern Ireland". in Japan, with a proposed US$597 million to increase its stake to 50%. Both also referred to their respective teams as "Ireland". In addition to its wholly-owned international operations, Wal-Mart owns a 42% stake in The Seiyu Co., Ltd. However, both the IFA and FAI continued to select their teams from the whole of Ireland, with some players earning international caps for matches with both teams. Wal-Mart also operates the largest real estate company in the United States, with an entire division devoted to building new stores, selling old stores, and developing shopping centers around its stores. Despite the new organisation being initially blacklisted by the Home Nations' football associations, the Association was recognised by FIFA in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against Italy in Turin).

Internationally, Wal-Mart employs over 410,000 people (excluding Japan) for a company-wide total of 1.7 million employees. Following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an Irish Cup final replay from Dublin to Belfast, the clubs based in the Free State set up a new Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) - now known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) - in 1921. Apart from retail locations, it operates 99 Distribution Centers and Transportation Offices in the United States. However, some clubs based outside Belfast felt that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based, Protestant clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters are located in Bentonville, Arkansas. Football was being played in Ireland since the 1860s, but remained a minority sport outside of Ulster until the 1880s. As of January 2005, Wal-Mart employed 1.3 million people in the United States. The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for football (soccer) throughout the island.

Wal-Mart also operates Sam's Club—a "warehouse club" (similar to Costco and BJ's) that sells discounted bulk merchandise to due-paying members. The same is true of cricket. Wal-Mart operates discount retail department stores selling a broad range of non-grocery products, though emphasis is now focused on the "Supercenters" which offer a full line of grocery items. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team represents the whole island. . The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides of the border. retail stores being spent at Wal-Mart. All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs and receive no wages.

It holds an 8.9 percent retail store market share, with $8.90 out of every $100 spent in U.S. All major GAA games are played here, including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland championships. It is the largest private employer in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 83,000 capacity Croke Park in north Dublin. For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2005, Wal-Mart reported net income of US $10.3 billion on US $285 billion of sales revenue (3.6% profit margin). The GAA is organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing; traditionally, counties first compete within their province, in the provincial championships, and the winners then compete in the All-Ireland senior hurling or football championships. It is the largest retailer in the world and one of the largest companies in the world based on revenue; in 2004 it was the largest, but the recent rise in oil prices has taken at least one oil company past it. All Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of Ladies' Gaelic Football, which is governed by a separate organisation.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. Along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, they make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic Games. Accessed January 11, 2006. Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular sports in Ireland. ^  Wal-Mart giant can be tamed The Boston Globe, November 23, 2003. On July 28, 2005, the Provisional IRA (PIRA) announced the end of its armed campaign and on September 25, 2005 international weapons inspectors supervised the full disarmament of the PIRA. 121; Can't Wal-Mart, a Retail Behemoth, Pay More? The New York Times, May 4, 2005. In 2001 the armed police force in the north (which operated much like an army with armoured cars etc.), the Royal Ulster Constabulary (or RUC for short), was replaced by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).

^  See Palast, p. Violence has greatly decreased since the signing of the accord. ^  Down and Out in Discount America, The Nation, January 3, 2005; Wal-Mart's Welfare Dependency, San Francisco Chronicle by Sally Lieber, November 7, 2003. In 1998, following a Provisional IRA cease-fire, the Good Friday Agreement was concluded and attempts began to be made to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power sharing between the two communities. House of Representatives Representative George Miller, Senior Democrat, February 16, 2004; Wal-Marts Cost State, Study Says, San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 2004. Owing to the civil unrest the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed direct rule. ^ Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart (pdf), A Report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce U.S. Other groups, legal and illegal on the unionist side, and illegal on the nationalist side, began to participate in the violence and the period known as the "Troubles" began.

^  Wal-Mart public relations web page, section regarding Benefits (retreived May 25, 2005). It was during this period of civil unrest that the paramilitary Provisional IRA, who favoured the creation of a united Ireland, began its campaign against Unionist rule. ^  Retaliating first, Wal-Mart in Canada, The Economist, Feb 24th 2005; Ex-Wal-Mart Workers Win Battle Globe and Mail, Rhéal Séguin, September 17, 2005. Nationalist grievances at unionist discrimination within the state eventually led to large civil rights protests in 1960s, which the government suppressed heavy-handedly, most notably on "Bloody Sunday". Coughlin Told Others Bogus Expenses Hid Plot Against Unions Retailer Disputes His Claim, Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2005. Consequently, Catholics could not participate in the government, which at times openly encouraged discrimination in housing and employment. ^  Petty Cash A Wal-Mart Legend's Trail of Deceit Mr. However the Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland each voted almost entirely along sectarian lines, meaning that the government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past the post") was always controlled by the Ulster Unionist Party.

119-120; Chinese Workers Pay for Wal-Mart's Low Prices, Washington Post, February 8, 2004; [Wal-Mart faces sweat-shop lawsuit Wal-Mart faces sweat-shop lawsuit], Financial Times (London), September 14, 2005; Suit Says Wal-Mart Is Lax on Labor Abuses Overseas, New York Times, September 14, 2005; Workers Sue Wal-Mart Over Sweatshop Conditions, Reuters, September 13, 2005, Sweatshop Workers on Four Continents Sue Wal-Mart in California Court, Press Release, September 13, 2005; Human cost behind bargain shopping Dateline hidden camera investigation in Bangladesh, Dateline NBC, June 17, 2005. From its creation in 1921 until 1972 Northern Ireland enjoyed limited self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and prime minister. ISBN 0745318460., p. By the early 2000s, it had become one of the richest countries (in terms of GDP per capita) in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient to a net contributor and from a population with net emigration to one with net immigration. The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: An Investigative Reporter Exposes the Truth About Globalization, Corporate Cons, and High-Finance Fraudsters, Pluto Press. That decade saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger". ^  Palast, Greg (2002). The state was plagued by poverty and emigration until the 1990s.

ISBN 1585424226.. In 1949 the state declared itself to be a republic and that henceforth it should be described as the Republic of Ireland. The United States of Wal-Mart, Tarcher. The state was neutral during World War II but offered some assistance to the Allies. Dicker, John (2005). The party introduced a new constitution in 1937 which renamed the state to simply "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (preface to the Constitution). ISBN 155369855X.. However in the 1930s Fianna Fáil, the party of the opponents of the treaty, were elected into government.

Megamall on the Hudson: Planning, Wal-Mart, and Grassroots Resistance, Trafford. For its first years the new state was governed by the victors of the Civil War. Porter, David (2003). In 1922, in the middle of this civil war, the Irish Free State came into being. ISBN 0745318460.. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was narrowly ratified by the Dáil in December 1921 but was rejected by a large minority, resulting in the Irish Civil War which lasted until 1923. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Owl Books. Secession for the rest of Ireland led directly to the Civil War, as militant nationalists split into two factions and turned against one another.

Ehrenreich, Barbara (2002). The remaining six, in the north-east, remained within the Union as Northern Ireland. ISBN 1580086683.. In 1922, following the Anglo-Irish War, twenty-six counties of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom as the Irish Free State. How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America and the World: And What You Can Do about It (3rd edition). The late 19th and early 20th century saw a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign for Irish home rule, followed by the eclipse of moderate nationalism by militant separatism. Quinn, Bill (2005). The 19th century saw the Great Famine of the 1840s in which at least 1 million Irish people died and over a million were forced to emigrate.

ISBN 0465023169.. The whole island of Ireland would remain within the United Kingdom, ruled directly by the UK Parliament in London. Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights at Wal-Mart. In 1800 the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union which, in 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Featherstone, Liza (2004).
. ISBN 1932857249.. The new English Protestant ruling class was known as the Protestant Ascendancy.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Disinformation Company. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. Spotts, Greg (2005). English rule was largely limited to the area around Dublin, known as the Pale, and Waterford, but this began to expand in the 16th century with the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland and English and Scottish Protestant colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, which established English control over the whole island. ISBN 0385513569.. In 1172, King Henry II of England gained Irish lands by the granting of the 1155 Bull Laudibiliter to him by then English Pope Adrian IV, and from the 13th century, English law began to be introduced. The Bully of Bentonville: How the High Cost of Wal-Mart's Everyday Low Prices Is Hurting America. Eventually they settled in Ireland and established many towns, including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

Bianco, Anthony (2006). This era was interrupted in the 9th century by 200 years of intermittent warfare with waves of Viking raiders who plundered monasteries and towns. ISBN 155860684X.. The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. Data Warehousing: Using the Wal-Mart Model. Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin learning during the Early Middle Ages. Westerman, Paul (2000). The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new faith.

ISBN 0785261192.. Patrick arrived on the island and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish to Christianity. The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story of the Success of the World's Largest Company. Tradition maintains that in AD 432, St. Soderquist, Don (2005). The exact relationship between Rome and the tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman writings. ISBN 1591840430.. Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry, myth, and archaeology.

The Wal-Mart Triumph: Inside the World's #1 Company. Ptolemy in AD 100 records Ireland's geography and tribes. Slater, Robert (2004). Many scholars, however, now favour a view that emphasises cultural diffusion from overseas over significant colonisation.The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia. ISBN 1591840066.. They are traditionally thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, with the Gael, the last wave of Celts, conquering the island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. The Wal-Mart Decade: How a New Generation of Leaders Turned Sam Walton's Legacy into the World's #1 Company. The Iron Age in Ireland is associated with people now known as Celts.

Slater, Robert (2003). The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze ornaments and weapons. ISBN 0812963776.. Stone age inhabitants arrived sometime after 8000 BC, with the culture progressing from Mesolithic to high Neolithic over the course of three or four millennia. In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and Wal-Mart, the World's Most Powerful Retailer. It has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. Ortega, Bob (1998). Ireland was mostly ice-covered and joined by land to Britain and Europe during the last ice age.

ISBN 1595580352.. In contrast the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) uses the Tricolour to represent the whole island. Wal-Mart: A Field Guide to America's Largest Company and the World's Largest Employer, New Press. St Patrick's Saltire is used to represent the island of Ireland by the all-island Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Lichtenstein, Nelson (2006). The Royal Standard also shows a version of an ancient Irish flag (depicting a harp) in one of its four quadrants. ISBN 0471679984.. However as the tricolour is the flag of the Republic of Ireland it is not used to represent the island of Ireland, given that the island also includes Northern Ireland.

What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World. Patrick's cross, the flag sometimes used for the Kingdom of Ireland and which represented Ireland on the Union Flag after the Act of Union, a green flag with a harp (used by some radical nationalists in the 19th century and which is also the flag of Leinster), a blue flag with a harp used from the 18th century onwards by many nationalists (now the standard of the President of Ireland), and the Irish tricolour. Bergdahl, Michael (2004). Historically a number of flags were used, including St. [26]. While the Tricolour is the official flag of the Republic, there is no universally agreed flag that represents the entire island of Ireland. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, a 2005 documentary by Robert Greenwald, the creator of Outfoxed. More details http://www.npws.ie/[1].

Independent America, a 2005 documentary on the larger issue of independent businesses fighting for survival against corpprate chains. http://www.npws.ie/en/PublicationsLiterature/IrishWildlifeManuals/. Outrageous Fortunes, BBC Three, aired on 26 April 2004, about the workings of Wal-Mart. The volumes are published on an irregular basis by Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service. Featuring interviews with both Wal-Mart top brass and critics, it won a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody Award for television excellence. Irish Wildlife Manuals is a series of contract reports relating to the conservation management of habitats and species in Ireland. The Age of Wal-Mart, a 2004 documentary produced by CNBC. Ireland has a very rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the Saltee Islands and Skellig Michael.

and China. About 400 bird species have been recorded in Ireland, many of which are migratory, either arctic birds who come in the winter, or birds such as the Swallow which come from Africa in the summer to breed. Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?, a PBS Frontline documentary on the impact of Wal-Mart in the U.S. See List of Irish Mammals. Store Wars, a PBS special taking a close look at one community's battle over Wal-Mart. rabbits and the Brown Rat. Why Wal-Mart Works & Why That Makes Some People Crazy, a pro-Wal-Mart documentary (not affiliated with Wal-Mart). Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g.

Wal-Mart Space a blog run by Bobby Gerry which explores Wal-Mart's financial statements. Some species, such as the Red Fox, Hedgehog, Stoat, and Badger are very common, whereas others, like the Red Deer and Pine Marten are rare and only seen in certain national parks and nature reserves around the island. AlwaysLowPrices.net a blog run by Kevin Brancato (discontinued on November 14, 2005). Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, again because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. Wal-Mart political donations. The Flora of Ireland. 2004-04-09 10-K. Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats.

WMT: Profile for WAL-MART STORES - Yahoo! Finance. Nevertheless, it is home to hundreds of plant species. Company Profile. Ireland's flora is poorer in species numbers than Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island very soon after the end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Yahoo! - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. These areas are largely spectacularly mountainous and rocky, with beautiful green vistas.
. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price A feature-length documentary. Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western counties.

The New Rules Project(critiques big box development, not limited to Wal-Mart). Across Ireland, the 32 counties are still used in sports and in some other cultural areas and retain a strong sense of local identity. Wal-Mart Free NYC A group fighting to keep New York City Wal-Mart free. For election constituencies, some counties are merged or divided, but constitutionally the boundaries have to be observed. Wal-Mart Wiki Though not strictly critical, this wiki is definitely weighted against Wal-Mart in its current state. In the Republic, the county boundaries are still adhered to for local government, albeit with Tipperary and Dublin subdivided (some cities also have their own administrative regions). Wal-Mart Watchlabor union-funded website. Six of the Ulster counties remain under British sovereignty as Northern Ireland following Ireland's partition in 1922 (the remaining 26 forming present-day Republic of Ireland); since the UK's 1974 reshuffle these county boundaries no longer exist in Northern Ireland for administrative purposes, although Fermanagh District Council is almost identical to the county.

Wake-Up Wal-Mart website by the United Food and Commercial Workers. These were further divided into 32 counties for administrative purposes. Index of numerous studies on Wal-Mart's economic and social impacts from The American Independent Business Alliance. Previously there were five provinces - Connacht, Munster, Ulster, Leinster and Meath, comprising the counties of Meath, Westmeath and Longford. Sprawl Busters, site Al Norman, an activist who helps local "site fights" against big box stores. In Irish these are referred to as Cúige's ( Cúige - meaning fifths). Rotten Library: Wal-Mart. Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

Video report of Wal-Mart using child labor, CBC News, November 30, 2005. The island's area is 32,477 square miles (84,079 km²). Wal-Mart caught using child labor, CBC News, November 30, 2005. The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". Maryland's House approved a bill that would require all businesses in the state with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health benefits for workers. The island is bisected by the River Shannon, at 161 miles (259 km) the longest river in Ireland or Britain. Sweet Victory: Maryland Stands Up To Wal-Mart, The Nation, Sunday, April 17, 2005. The highest peak is Carrauntuohill (Irish: Corrán Tuathail), which is 3414 feet (1041 m).

Retaliating first, Wal-Mart in Canada, The Economist, Feb 24th 2005. A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. Wal-Marts Cost State, Study Says, San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 2004. Another suggestion, although much less used, is the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA). House of Representatives Representative George Miller, Senior Democrat, February 16, 2004. For this reason, "Britain and Ireland" is commonly used as a more neutral alternative. Everyday Low Wages: The Hidden Price We All Pay For Wal-Mart(pdf), A Report by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce U.S. However, some people, especially in Ireland, take exception to this name, which seems to suggest that both islands belong to Britain.

Article argues that the decline of Union Industry jobs and the rise of Wal-Mart is destroying America's middle class. The island is often referred to as being part of the British Isles. In Wal-Mart's America, Washington Post, August 27, 2003. The Ireland Funds, an international fund-raising organisation, tries to help people on both sides find peace and reconciliation through community development, education, arts and culture. Up against the Wal-Mart, Business Week, March 13, 2000, Explains union's attempt to unionize Wal-Marts. Irish and Scottish traditional music have many similarities. "Wal-Mart: High Prices for American Workers" file, (PDF February 16, 2004) from the Democratic Staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Traditional Irish music, for example, though showing some variance in all geographical areas, is, broadly speaking, the same on both sides of the border.

California Legislators Call for Oversight of Wal-Mart's Health Benefits (Study of Peachcare). The island also has a shared culture in many other ways. "The Wal-Mart You Don't Know", Fast Company, Issue 77, December 2003, Page 68 Wal-Mart's relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Some trade unions are also organised on an all-Irish basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom — though such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Britain. "Inside the Leviathan" by Simon Head for The New York Review of Books, December 16, 2004. Some 92% of the population of the Republic of Ireland and about 44% of Northern Ireland is Roman Catholic. UC Berkeley report on the community impact of Wal-Mart's lower wages(pdf). The major religions, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, are organised on an all-island basis.

How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart, The New York Times, July 17, 2005. In a number of respects, the island operates officially as a single entity, for example, in most kinds of sports. Costco's Dilemma: Is Treating Employees Well Unacceptable for a Public Corporation? The Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2004 Costco's compensation for its employees with comparison to Wal-Mart.
. Company for the People Seattle Weekly, December 15 - 21, 2004, Article which contrasts Wal-Mart with employee-friendly Costco. Up to then, Ireland had been politically divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others). The Freedom to Hate Wal-Mart?, Paul Jacob, The Free Liberal, December 5, 2005. From 1541 the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till the early 17th century.

Should We Admire Wal-Mart? Fortune Magazine, March 8, 2004. Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 the island had been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1922. Economy a study funded by Wal-Mart, determining the net economic impact of Wal-Mart at the national, city, and county level. Politically, Ireland is divided into:. Measuring the Economic Impact of Wal-Mart on the U.S. . of Economics, University of Missouri, 2002. The population of the island is approximately 5.8 million people; 4.1 million in the Republic of Ireland (1.6 million in Greater Dublin) and 1.7 million in Northern Ireland (0.8 million in Greater Belfast).