ABSTRACT
This chapter provides that a socio-economic profile of Ireland, traces longer term patterns in Irish economic development and establishes the origins and credentials of the Celtic Tiger. It acts as a fast track induction into the Irish socio-economic context by informing the reader of the main features of modern Irish political, demographic and economic life. The chapter also provides a brief but succinct outline of the main trends in Irish economic activity from the middle of the nineteenth century up to the new millennium, it reveals the improbable origins for the emergence of the Celtic Tiger. It examines the employment trends in each economic sectors. The 1937 Constitution sets out the fundamental rights of each citizen in areas such as the family, education, and property etc. Approximately one-quarter of that population were receiving full-time education with approximately half attending primary schools, one-third in secondary and the rest in third level institutions.
