Resetting The Republic

About Resetting The Republic

The world views Ireland as a European success story. Yet for people living there, it doesn’t feel that way.

Three in five young people are planning to emigrate. Workers commute for hours every day. Housing is in such crisis that thousands are homeless while unfinished mega projects spiral in cost. There’s a sense that no one is in control and people are losing out.

In Resetting The Republic, Conor Brady delivers a compelling analysis of how we got here and offers a vision of radical reform for a more prosperous and equitable Ireland.

Praise for Resetting The Republic

'Ireland is a rich country that in many areas—housing, public transport, infrastructure and healthcare—can feel like a poor one. It is increasingly obvious that its inherited forms and styles of governance are struggling to cope with the challenges of a rapidly growing and ageing population, the environmental crisis and the unravelling of the international order. Conor Brady's searching, thoughtful and deeply informed analysis tells us how we've got here, what the consequences of inertia might be and, most importantly, what we can do to make Ireland work better for its citizens. This is a sharp, clear and highly readable clarion call against complacency.'

- Fintan O'Toole, author of We Don´t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958

'This is an important and ambitious book -ambitious in scope and prescription. Conor Brady achieves his aim of creating a framework for a serious debate on the reform of the Irish state just over 100 years after its establishment. It highlights the achievements but more importantly the many deficits evident in the structures and outcomes of Irish public policy. Resetting The Republic is a must read for all those interested in the future of Ireland.'

- Brigid Laffan, Chancellor of the University of Limerick and an Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute

About the author

Conor Brady is a writer and journalist. He was editor of The Irish Times from 1986 until 2002.

For two decades, Brady had an insider’s view of Ireland. He chaired the committee that recommended candidates to government for senior civil service roles. He was previously commissioner of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

Brady was chair of the World Editors Forum and the advisory board of the European Journalism Centre. In 2024, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the National University of Ireland. He is the author of several works of non-fiction and the Joe Swallow crime series.