It starts with the historical circumstances - the beginnings of the Irish National Debt in the mid-eighteenth century and the problems of government borrowing in time of peace and war - which preceded the formation, in 1799, of the Dublin Stock Exchange. Later chapters examine many aspects of the market's development during the nineteenth century: changes in its practices and customs; the origins of some of the oldest surviving broking firms; the important trade in government securities between London and Dublin; the Irish railways; and the formation of joint stock companies in Ireland. Finally, the role of the Stock Exchange in the finance of government and industry since Irish independence is fully covered.
Throughout, The Stock Exchanges of Ireland is soundly based on the surviving records (to which the author was granted full access) of the three Irish markets - Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Important new material was also obtained from the Irish Record Office, the National Library of Ireland, the archives of the Bank of Ireland and the Record Office of the Bank of England.
The book makes a comprehensive and significant contribution to Irish and financial history, and will prove an essential work of reference. It is also a lively, readable account of growth, change and development in the Irish markets, which should interest all concerned with banking, finance, investment and stockbroking.
