Motor assembly in Ireland

In 1934 the Fianna Fail Government Minister Sean Lemass introduced a tax incentive for cars to be assembled locally, provided that a certain percentage of their components were manufactured in the Irish Free State. A surprisingly large number of companies began assembly of an equally wide range of makes in the years that followed and created a dynamic and significant industry that made an important contribution to the development of industry in the State. It was only accession to the EEC in the 1970s that finally brought the Irish Motor Assembly industry to an end.