Mary E. Daly is Professor Emeritus in Modern Irish History at University College Dublin. In 2014 she was elected as the first woman President of the Royal Irish Academy in the Academy's 229-year history. In addition to a career as a teacher and researcher in modern Irish history, spanning more than forty years, she has been Principal of the College of Arts and Celtic Studies at UCD. She is a member of the Irish government's Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations, and in 2015 was appointed as a Commissioner to investigate the history of Ireland's mother and baby homes.

'With an unsparing ability to distinguish myth from reality, Mary Daly reveals why Ireland, despite some impressive growth in the 1960s, remained one of the poorest countries in Europe. Deeply relevant to the economic, political, and religious questions confronting Ireland today, this book will provoke a lively response.' Kevin Kenny, Boston College, Massachusetts

• Introduction; Part I. The Economy: 1. 'Bringing up the rear of the pack' in Europe's golden age of economic growth; 2. Transforming the economy: whose plan?; 3. Coping with change 1: industry and trade unions; 4. Coping with change 2: agriculture and rural Ireland; 5. Coping with change 3: regional and physical planning; Part II. Society: 6. The optimism of a rising tide; 7. Farewell to 'the vanishing Irish'; 8. Women, children and families; 9. Second-wave feminism and the Irish family; 10. The churches; 11. Education, health and welfare; Part III. Politics and International Relations: 12. Party politics: the revolution that never happened; 13. International relations; 14. Northern Ireland; Conclusion: abandoning the past?; Bibliography; Index.

Mary E. Daly is Professor Emeritus in Modern Irish History at University College Dublin. In 2014 she was elected as the first woman President of the Royal Irish Academy in the Academy's 229-year history. In addition to a career as a teacher and researcher in modern Irish history, spanning more than forty years, she has been Principal of the College of Arts and Celtic Studies at UCD. She is a member of the Irish government's Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations, and in 2015 was appointed as a Commissioner to investigate the history of Ireland's mother and baby homes.

'With an unsparing ability to distinguish myth from reality, Mary Daly reveals why Ireland, despite some impressive growth in the 1960s, remained one of the poorest countries in Europe. Deeply relevant to the economic, political, and religious questions confronting Ireland today, this book will provoke a lively response.' Kevin Kenny, Boston College, Massachusetts

• Introduction; Part I. The Economy: 1. 'Bringing up the rear of the pack' in Europe's golden age of economic growth; 2. Transforming the economy: whose plan?; 3. Coping with change 1: industry and trade unions; 4. Coping with change 2: agriculture and rural Ireland; 5. Coping with change 3: regional and physical planning; Part II. Society: 6. The optimism of a rising tide; 7. Farewell to 'the vanishing Irish'; 8. Women, children and families; 9. Second-wave feminism and the Irish family; 10. The churches; 11. Education, health and welfare; Part III. Politics and International Relations: 12. Party politics: the revolution that never happened; 13. International relations; 14. Northern Ireland; Conclusion: abandoning the past?; Bibliography; Index.

Mary E. Daly is Professor Emeritus in Modern Irish History at University College Dublin. In 2014 she was elected as the first woman President of the Royal Irish Academy in the Academy's 229-year history. In addition to a career as a teacher and researcher in modern Irish history, spanning more than forty years, she has been Principal of the College of Arts and Celtic Studies at UCD. She is a member of the Irish government's Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations, and in 2015 was appointed as a Commissioner to investigate the history of Ireland's mother and baby homes.

'With an unsparing ability to distinguish myth from reality, Mary Daly reveals why Ireland, despite some impressive growth in the 1960s, remained one of the poorest countries in Europe. Deeply relevant to the economic, political, and religious questions confronting Ireland today, this book will provoke a lively response.' Kevin Kenny, Boston College, Massachusetts

• Introduction; Part I. The Economy: 1. 'Bringing up the rear of the pack' in Europe's golden age of economic growth; 2. Transforming the economy: whose plan?; 3. Coping with change 1: industry and trade unions; 4. Coping with change 2: agriculture and rural Ireland; 5. Coping with change 3: regional and physical planning; Part II. Society: 6. The optimism of a rising tide; 7. Farewell to 'the vanishing Irish'; 8. Women, children and families; 9. Second-wave feminism and the Irish family; 10. The churches; 11. Education, health and welfare; Part III. Politics and International Relations: 12. Party politics: the revolution that never happened; 13. International relations; 14. Northern Ireland; Conclusion: abandoning the past?; Bibliography; Index.