My research paper will examine the advantages and disadvantages of Ireland joining the European Union. The benefits I will talk about will be the impact it has had on the agricultural sector, education and training, the impact on citizens and the impact of the single currency in Ireland. The disadvantages will connect with the advantages as it affected several areas after Ireland's accession. I will also give a brief overview of the European Union and how it was established. The European Union is known as an economic and political partnership between 28 member states, on the European continent. After World War II, war-affected European countries gathered to discuss a resolution that would prevent another event like the World Wars from occurring. In 1952 the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) would become the first international organization to assist in the further development of the European Union. The six countries involved in the organization were Germany, Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957 by the six countries that saw the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC). In 1958 the EEC was created and the six members became the first states to join the organisation. Nearly sixty years after its founding, the EEC is what is known as the European Union (EU) and its membership has grown from six to twenty-eight. The EEC was transformed into the European Union in 1993 after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. Ireland has benefited greatly from the EU since its accession in 1973. When Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, its income was heavily dependent on the agricultural sector. England has been the main center of the Irish economy and the country's development for the last forty years. The Celtic Tiger era is a success story in its own right in Ireland as we saw reduced taxes and a higher standard of living for Irish citizens. Even though everything fell apart and damaged the real estate sector, Ireland had the support of EU member states when it needed assistance in late 2009. Ireland also managed to successfully emerge from its years of economic difficulty and through European policies such as the CAP has developed the agricultural sector and is one of the most difficult agricultural sectors in the EU. EU funding has led to notable improvements in transport, business and education. Ireland's membership saw developments in the education and training sector, which increased employment and through this was able to attract foreign direct investment into the country.