Celtic Tiger found in education jungle

Purpose - While the growth of the Irish economy ("Celtic Tiger") has been well documented, not enough attention has been given to the role of education as a cornerstone for the success. This paper seeks to review education policy in Ireland over the past 50 years and to identify the significant educational initiatives that helped shape modern Ireland. Design/methodology/ approach - Primarily utilising history books and governmental papers with specific reference to education policy in Ireland, the paper is a review of the relevant literature offering an insight into a variety of schemes instigated by various Ministers for Education over the past five decades. Findings - The key finding was that the consistent education policies of the preceding decades bore fruit: during the 1990s, there was growing demand for educated human capital in all developed countries, and its ready availability in Ireland helped to attract foreign direct investment and to promote the development of indigenous companies. Originality/value - This paper uses education policy in Ireland to create a link from mass emigration in the 1950s to the "Celtic Tiger" boom years of recent times.