ABSTRACT
During the 1990s, the Irish economy was the fastest growing economy in Europe. The growth of output was unprecedented in an Irish context and the growth in employment a record in an international context. Between 1990 and 2000, Gross Domestic Product doubled with the real growth rate at a high of 11 per cent in 1999. While the growth rate fell back considerably in the first few years of the new millennium, growth continues to be in the order of four to five percent. While this extraordinary economic success, in particular the fall in unemployment, has been most welcome, the pace of the growth has had significant implications for settlement patterns, energy use and the environment.
