Essay from the year 2012 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 68%, Dublin City University, course: Introduction to Modern Ireland, language: English, abstract: Especially in the late 20th century, Ireland has undergone substantial changes in its economy, politics (including education), and society, which can be described as an overall modernisation. An important aspect in analysing this process is to examine how big the influence of the European Union, which Ireland joined in 19731 after its first application in 19612, was and is. Is European integration a key aspect of Ireland's rise to prosperity, or did national policy making play the main role? How important is the EU to Ireland's development nowadays and what is to be expected in the future?