Ireland goes to polls amid post-crisis uncertainty

Ireland goes to the polls on Friday (26 February) in the country’s first general election since completing the €85 billion EU-IMF bailout progamme it received in late 2010. Amid doubts about the true state of Irish society, the result is proving hard to call.

Those dark and traumatic days the Irish want to leave behind, and on paper, economic projections for the Irish state say they will able to do just that.

According to the Irish Central Bank, a “convincing recovery” is under w...