Montana, Ireland And The Cause Of Freedom
"It’s freedom, not the “luck of the Irish,” that explains Ireland’s remarkable economic success."
Did you know that Montana is the most Irish state west of Pennsylvania?
For those of you familiar with the history of the Last Best Place, this fact is of little surprise. During the late 1800’s, Montana saw a large influx of Irish immigrants. In search of opportunity and freedom, these immigrants would play an instrumental role in building the Montana we know today.
Source: https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/71730 & https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/89260
With copper mines booming, immigrants from the Emerald Isle made their new home in places like Butte & Anaconda. In just a few years Butte became a bustling city, gaining the title of being the largest city between Chicago and San Francisco.
Source: https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/73380 & https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/71952
While the history of Irish heritage in Montana may be well known by some, the story of economic freedom in modern day Ireland is less well known.
As renowned author and Frontier board member Lawrence W. Reed put it in this month’s Frontier History column, “Though fewer people today live in the Republic of Ireland than did almost two centuries ago, they’re busy teaching the world an important lesson: economic freedom works!”
In fact Ireland’s strong protections for both economic freedom and personal freedoms have positioned the nation as the 5th most free country in the world according to the 2022 Human Freedom Index.
So as you enjoy your corned beef and a cold pint of Guinness this St. Patty’s Day, take a moment to reflect on this recent quote from Lawrence W. Reed:
“It’s freedom, not the “luck of the Irish,” that explains Ireland’s remarkable economic success. That’s just as true for a state as it is for a country. When Governor Greg Gianforte says he wants to make Montana “a sanctuary state for freedom and free markets,” he echoes the sentiments that are making Ireland great again.”
For Liberty,
Tanner Avery
The Latest
Historic Tax Relief Signed Into Law
This week, Governor Gianforte signed into law the biggest tax cut in Montana history.
Our Take: The historic tax relief Montanans are seeing today is a product of the Legislature’s past commitment to fiscally conservative budgeting. Montana’s state government is showing how to make tax relief successful. Local governments need to follow that example. Permanent, long-term tax relief is made possible only through a commitment to spending restraint.
Graphic of the Week
