Ireland, Ireland....

At one time, it was often said that the Welsh were lucky because ‘we were the Irish who couldn’t swim’. In addition, many Irishmen and women, throughout the ages, have been scathing about their home country and the capital city of Dublin.

James Joyce, one of Ireland’s most famous sons, stated that he chose his capital city - fondly known for years as the ‘dirty old town’ - for a particular scene in one of his books because it seemed to him the centre of paralysis.

How things have changed during the last twenty years, as Ireland has transformed itself from a third world agricultural-based country to one of the best performing economies in the industrialised world, with industries such as software, food, cultural industries, financial services and pharmaceuticals continuing to grow.

Today, the Welsh can only look on admiringly as Ireland has become the epitome of a modern, high technology economy, with a young creative and highly educated workforce that is the envy of nations throughout the World.

Living in Wales, it is easy to forget that we are one of the nearest parts of the United Kingdom to the heart of this remarkable transformation in Ireland, namely Dublin. With today’s fast ferries, you can be sipping a pint of Guinness in the port of Dun Laoghaire within ninety nine minutes of waving goodbye to Holyhead.

Despite this nearness to our now prosperous Irish neighbour, there seems to have been little visible effort within Wales to build strong linkages with the fastest growing city in the fastest growing economy in Europe.

Many will say that there is little we can learn from such a prosperous part of Europe, given that we are a poor region that has qualified for Objective 1 support. However, we mustn’t forget that as recently as 1987, Irish living standards were 65% of the European average, below that of the poorest counties in Wales.

So what do we need to do here in Wales to emulate the economic miracle that is Dublin and Ireland?

First of all, our civic and business leaders must take the lead and fully commit us to working closely with our Irish cousins, taking full advantage of the competitive edge that, through accident of geography and circumstance, other parts of the UK mainland do not have. If we do not take such a development seriously within Wales, then we cannot expect individuals and organisations in Ireland to do the same.

Secondly, we must look to take advantage of the experience of success that a city like Dublin has had, but also look to attract Irish businesses and individuals to areas in North and West Wales region. Whilst Dublin has become enormously prosperous, success has come with a price.

House and land prices are astronomically high, road congestion has brought traffic to a near standstill, and skills shortages have led to high wages that many businesses are finding it difficult to afford. If marketed properly, North and West Wales has the potential - with its low land prices, strong infrastructure, various European funding opportunities and access to world class universities to provide a skilled workforce - to become a magnet for Irish firms wishing to expand.

Indeed, there is no reason, given that one of the World’s centres for software development is eighty miles away, that the fledgling computer industry on Parc Menai in Gwynedd cannot grow exponentially given the right encouragement and support.

Finally, it is clear that the Irish tourism industry has managed to capture a substantial overseas market which we can only envy. There is clearly a lot that can be learnt from this, and our tourism operators will need to look carefully at ways in which we could imitate and improve on the cultural experience that makes the Emerald Isle such a popular place with visitors from all over the World.

This does not mean that we cannot also be proactive in taking advantage of the fact that we have over 1.5 million potential tourists living in Dublin alone. Given the increasing prosperity of the young Dublin population, there is no reason why the mountains and coastline of North Wales could not, with the right type of strategy, be marketed more effectively to the Irish as the place for weekend breaks for sailing, mountain biking, walking and climbing.

Having been born in Bangor and having lived and worked in Dublin for two years, I would love to see the day when both cities are willing and able to become twinned as equals. Perhaps, that is the Welsh (rather than the Irish) romantic in me.

However, I do believe there is no reason why Wales could not, given the right drive, enthusiasm, energy and a bit of luck, emulate the success of our Irish cousins.

Perhaps one day, the ability to swim will not be the only differentiating factor between our two countries.