This book examines Irish economic development in the twentieth century compared with other European countries. It traces the growth of the Republic's economy from its separation from Britain in the early 1920s through to the present, as well as the experience of Northern Ireland which remained part of the United Kingdom. It discusses Ireland's unique population trends, the efforts by the Republic to develop agriculture and industry under government protection, the return to free trade and entry to the EEC, and the economic crisis of the 1980s. It assesses the factors which encouraged and inhibited economic development, and concludes with an appraisal of the country's present state and future prospects.