Introduction: Thinking about Ireland's Future, Then and Now

In May 2022, the Royal Irish Academy organized four seminars under the title "Ireland 2030." This piece is an introduction to a selection of papers from these seminars, published in a special issue of _Studies_, the well-known Irish quarterly review. The introduction provides context for the papers and summarizes them. It also sketches a methodology for thinking about the future, attempting to derive such a methodology from Eamon de Valera's famous speech, "The Ireland That We Dreamed Of." Upon close reading, this speech, often derided by critics, turns out to be of considerable philosophical interest. It offers a sophisticated theopolitics based upon a Christian eschatology. With its emphasis on modest living in tune with limited natural resources, de Valera's vision remains compelling