As Ireland chairs the EU Presidency, what impact has over fifty years of EU membership had on Ireland

In 1973 when Ireland joined the then EEC, average house price in Ireland was €9,909, and average annual industrial earnings were just under €2,000 per annum. Thin Lizzy just had a hit with Whiskey in the Jar and the Arab-Israeli war saw fuel prices surge by 300 per cent as more fuel-efficient cars were sought.

From 1973 up to 2018 Ireland was a net recipient of over €40 billion in EU funds

Food, drink and tobacco was Ireland’s main export in the 70s. EU structural and cohesion funding would be put towards opening up an economy, which had over 180,000 unemployed by the 1980s. Between 1994 and 1999 Ireland received the equivalent of more than €1 billion in EU funding for road building. This represented 61 per cent of the total spend on roads during that period. Ireland was being opened up not just internally but to the world. From 1973 up to 2018 Ireland was a net recipient of over €40 billion in EU funds. "The struggling economy and society of the 1970s and 1980s was transformed by the cohesion, structural, and research funding we received from the EU" states Professor Declan Jordan, Cork University Business School.

Strict gendered delineation of roles in Irish families was no longer acceptable

While EU membership assisted in growing peace and prosperity in Ireland, one significant impact was in the changing of attitudes. In a deeply conservative Catholic Ireland women were discriminated against for opportunities and for rates that they were paid. EU Gender equality laws introduced in the 1970’s made it law for the first time that Irish men and Irish women would receive equally pay for equal work.

"EU membership has had a transformative effect on the lives of women and girls in Ireland. The strict gendered delineation of roles in Irish families, workplaces and broader society were no longer acceptable, neither socially or legally."  - Professor Louise Crowley, UCC School of Law.

"There is still significant scope for improvement in Ireland, for example, the prevalence of precarious employment contracts and the absence of a properly funded public childcare system in Ireland, continue to disproportionately affect women’s working lives. Nonetheless, campaigners persist in advocating for reform, often leveraging EU mechanisms to advance their aims."

EU institutions were a particular whipping boy during the bailout 

“The EU is usually only invoked when governments want to share the blame for decisions that might be unpopular with segments of the electorate. EU institutions were a particular whipping boy during the bailout in the economic crisis years but the effects of this have largely washed through the system” states Professor Theresa Reidy, Department of Government and Politics, UCC

From cows to data centres

Ireland was almost totally economically dependent on farming before joining the European Union. Agriculture accounted for 24% of the Irish workforce in 1973 when Ireland joined the EU, compared with just 4% in 2023.

"Ireland receives more than €1.5 billion annually in CAP funding, making the sector the largest recipient of EU funding. However, this support has also created a high degree of dependence in some farming systems. According to Teagasc, direct CAP payments accounted for 129% of average family farm income on cattle-rearing farms in 2024, illustrating that many businesses would be loss-making in the absence of support payments. By contrast, direct payments represented less than 20% of family farm income on dairy farms, reflecting the stronger commercial performance of that sector" comments Professor Thia Hennessy.

Ireland’s economy today is unrecognisable to what was evident in the 70’s. In 2022, services accounted for over 56% of overall Irish GDP, followed by manufacturing at 34%, agriculture is at 0.9%. Low corporation taxation, and a stable business environment contributed to ensuring Ireland is a significant global player in the technology and pharmaceutical industries. Apple, Google, Pfizer and Facebook are among the companies that have European headquarters here. Cork is a globally recognised pharma hub, with seven of the world’s top fifteen life sciences companies based in this region.

"Ireland's economic model more closely resembles our European partners. Our political, economic, and social systems mean we have a counterweight to worst aspects of the US' worship of markets as solutions to almost all economic and social issues" states UCC Professor Declan Jordan.

A critical moment for Europe

Reflecting on Ireland and the EU to the University College Cork publication, The Arch, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, states that Ireland's EU Presidency comes at a defining period. "Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at a critical moment for Europe. We face significant economic uncertainty, growing security challenges and rapid technological change. But alongside those challenges are opportunities – to strengthen our economy, accelerate innovation, deepen cooperation and build a more secure and prosperous future" highlights Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee.

For more of the article which is available under Creative Commons please see here.

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