With the sole exception of Iceland, the
downturn in the Irish economy in 2007 and 2008 was the most severe of any
experienced by an OECD member state (OECD,
2008). In Ireland, the crisis was widely understood to have five key
dimensions: a banking crisis; a public finance crisis; economic crisis; social
crisis; and a reputational crisis (NESC, 2009). This article examines the
political impact of that crisis, focusing in particular on the impact that
austerity politics has had upon the evolution of the Irish left. The article
traces the political responses to crisis inside and outside the Dáil and
examines their potential to support the growth of anti-austerity politics in
Ireland.