Forty years ago, Ireland's emergence as a major force within the European Union could hardly have been imagined. How could the country James Joyce once described as 'an old sow that eats her farrow' transform into a technologically savvy playground for the young and wealthy? Drawing on the findings of a wide-ranging survey conducted in 2002, Irish Social and Political Attitudes analyses the societal changes that have resulted from the unprecedented economic expansion of the 1990s. The first four chapters examine new shifts in social attitudes, including an emerging environmental awareness among the Irish people and a growing acceptance of varying gender roles. The last three chapters offer a comprehensive analysis of these social changes as they affect Ireland's political landscape.