The next graph shows that Ireland's share of international trade did not decline in the first part of the half century; from 1980 it had a similar rise to that of Scotland, and it has had a similar fall since the turn of the century.It is interesting to note that, in Ireland and Scotland, there has been an increase in service exports and financial services activity, which, until recently, to some extent offset the merchandise export decline.To pick up the point about the UK continental shelf, as there has not been a long run of official...