Ireland was once viewed as the sick man' of Europe, but over the course of a generation, it was transformed into the home of the Celtic Tiger'. However, the prosperity of the Celtic Tiger' was short lived, and by 2008 the economic miracle' was over and the tiger's roar was heard no more. The recession was soon felt across the whole country. This book examines some of the economic, political and social issues facing contemporary Ireland. Some of the issues examined clearly relate to the recession, while others have roots in Irish history. This book presents an in-depth analysis of a range of topical issues that are of both national and international significance. Each issue is presented by an expert drawn from a range of social science disciplines. In doing so the book seeks to provide a multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion of these issues, in the expectation that other scholars working both within and outside Ireland will use this work to further the collective understanding of these issues at home and abroad.