Who Really Owns Ireland: How we became tenants in our own land - and what we can do about it

by Matt Cooper

Through centuries of oppression, we were tenants in our own land.Today, despite our independence and new-found affluence, we are in the midst of a crisis.The question of who owns Ireland is once again taking on a sense of urgency. Is the land of Ireland still for the people of Ireland?In a deep and far-reaching investigation, journalist, broadcaster and No. 1 bestselling author Matt Cooper examines the power wielded by those who control the land where we live, work and play. Who are they, how did they acquire so much and what does it mean for ordinary citizens when the ownership of key resources like shopping centres, wind farms, forestry and data centres comes from outside?This is a story about how power and money influence and control the present and the future of Ireland … sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. Filled with riveting detail, this compelling story of who really owns Ireland is an essential account of the issues that affect every single one of us living on this island.

Genres: Nonfiction, Irish Literature, Politics

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2023

Reviews

[Daryl Feehely · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book provides the reader with a set of property developer x-ray glasses to use on a tour of the industry and the country, exposing the profit-making transactions for the land beneath our feet & the buildings around us, and showing that with each successive wave of ownership & opportunistic wealth generation, the public or common good is left unprotected or sometimes discarded entirely.

A fascinating, detailed, and often maddening account of how stewardship of the country's land & physical resources are mostly abdicated to the private market, in earlier generations for some tribunal-causing financial gain, and most recently in exchange for foreign capital and tax revenues, often times facilitated by state entities.

The book finishes off the well described land management tour-de-farce with indications that the same failures are happening in the management of the green transition and the growth of the renewable energy sector. Those in power would be well advised to use the book as the basis for a national risk register.

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book on the nature of ownership of property in modern Ireland. Cooper's timespan is from the latter years of the 20th century, through the amazing rise of and subsequent collapse of the Celtic Tiger years, and finally the subsequent recovery, then the effects of the covid years. It's a rollercoaster with the vast majority of commercial and a large chunk of domestic property now in non-Irish hands. The deals are complicated and the vast amount of information screams for the necessity of an index, which is sadly absent. The answer to the second part of his sub-title - what we can do about it - seems to be not a lot.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is stacked with facts and filled with well researched accounts of who bought what, for how much, from whom, and when. But if you are looking for a narrative or overarching story of Ireland's economic fortune post the 08 financial crash, you'll be left wanting. Cooper, who usually loves to give his opinion, holds back here. Instead, focusing on the facts of the matter, leaving the interpretation of this data largely to the reader.

[David Cowpar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really in depth study as to who owns what in Ireland and the state of the State with regards to land and home ownership and control. The “what we can do about it” section is not practical as per providing suggestions the reader can engage with. So that loses the star.

[Damien Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, well researched. A must read for understanding the mechanics of Irish land & property ownership plus social policy regarding the future of same. Excellent.

[asd · Rating 3 out of 5]

No more than slightly interesting. It's essentially a book listing property deals over the last 20 years. Dry and disappointing.

[Darragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and insightful.