Lemass era

The Lemass era is the term given to the period of economic change between 1959 and 1966 in the Republic of Ireland. It is so termed because the Taoiseach at the time was Seán Lemass, who succeeded Éamon de Valera - Lemass came from a business background, unlike the more academic and religious De Valera, and this was seen as a factor in the economic turnaround at the time. However, factors other than the leadership of Lemass had a role to play in the change in Ireland at the time - a generation of young politicians born after the Civil War, the presence of T. K. Whitaker in the Department of Finance and the arrival of television all had a role.<ref name=":0" />
During the Lemass era, the IDA greatly refocused its efforts on attracting quality industry, RTÉ was created, whilst population decline and emigration halted somewhat, and the Programme for Economic Expansion was implemented.<ref name=":0" />
The period also saw the destruction of much of Georgian Dublin to make way for modern buildings, the resettlement of inner-city Dublin communities in new developments such as Ballymun and Tallaght.

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