ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the meaning of the 'social in relation to care in the Republic of Ireland. It seeks to answer two questions: how has caring for adults and children been organised in Ireland and how is it changing; what are the gender implications of existing arrangements and of any changes which might be underway. Demographic developments help to reconstruct the context within which the social nature of care is shaped. An essential backdrop to any deliberations on the Republic of Ireland is its demographic uniqueness within a comparative European context. The only moves towards marketisation in care for the elderly visible in Ireland are in the residential care sector. The contrast which is to be found between the service and cash transfer dimensions of Ireland's welfare state reflects a struggle between Catholic corporatist thinking and the more liberal influences exerted by the historical link with Britain.
