Celtic Tiger

"Celtic Tiger" is a term for the unprecedented economic growth in Ireland in the 1990s. Ireland's membership of the European Union since 1973 has helped the country gain access to markets that previously it had to access through the United Kingdom. More importantly, Ireland dramatically reduced its tax rates on both individuals and corporations, and now has the lowest tax burden among EU members.

The term is an analogy to the term "Tiger States" which is used to denote countries like South Korea, Malaysia or the Philippines which have risen to economic power in the wake of Japan's success in the 1970s.