Ireland’s house prices, earnings and favourite cars, from the 1970s to today in six charts

Ireland joined the European Economic Community (ECC) on January 1st, 1973 alongside the United Kingdom and Denmark, bringing the total membership at that time to nine. Over the last 50 years, Ireland has been transformed from an island on the periphery of Europe to a valued and prosperous member of the EU, which now has 27 member states.

On Tuesday the Central Statistics Office released data to reflect this half century. From house prices, to earnings, and favourite cars, these charts illustrate some of the changes in Ireland’s economic and social history to mark this 50-year milestone.

Although not all changes can be attributed to our membership of the EU, it has been a significant factor when looking at economic and social progress in Ireland.