ABSTRACT
One of the major weaknesses of the economy in the 1920s was the limited degree of industrial development that had taken place in the Irish Free State area in the century or more prior to partition. Manufactures (excluding construction) accounted for less than 10 per cent of total employment by 1926, which was quite low by European standards. In contrast to Scotland, Wales and England, coal and iron resources were far less abundant and manufacturing in Ireland had been highly concentrated in the area that became Northern Ireland.1 Manufacturing employment in the Irish Free State was heavily centred in the food and drink sectors, notably in Dublin, where large concerns such as Guinness and Jacobs Biscuits were well placed to service both the Irish and British markets. Dublin was the centre of activity in the 26 counties for non-traded industries such as construction, railway engineering and utility industries such as gas and electricity. Dublin and its neighbourhood accounted for over half of total industrial output in the new state by the end of the 1920s,2 making it the only industrial centre of any consequence. This reflected the inherent advantages the capital enjoyed, such as a high population density, local access to services and its status as the major port in Ireland, in addition to acting as the central hub for the railway system. Dublin’s cluster of industrial concerns could compete with British industry on equal terms, or alternatively were non-traded and thus sheltered from British competition.
