Categories of industry

• Sectors of the Irish economy

  • Primary Sector
  • Secondary Sector
  • Tertiary Sector
• Primary Sector


  The extractive industries that take raw materials from nature
• Primary Sector industries


  • Agriculture
  • Fishing
  • Forestry
  • Mining
  • Energy (oil, gas, wind, solar)
• Importance of Primary Sector to the Economy

  • Creates employment, reducing social welfare payments and increasing tax revenues
  • Consumers of Irish products, putting money back into the Irish economy
  • Exports of raw materials, improving Ireland's Balance of Payments
  • Provides food, reducing need to import and improving Balance of Payments
• Changing trends in Primary Sector

  • EU Milk Quotas Abolished
  • Extracting own natural resources reducing dependence on foreign oil
  • Increasing Forestry with grants and tax incentives
  • Growing demand for organic foods
• Secondary Sector


  The manufacturing and construction industries
• Manufacturing


  Takes output from Primary Sector and transforms it into a totally different finished product
• Importance of Manufacturing to the Economy

  • Creates employment, reducing social welfare payments and increasing tax revenues
  • Exports of manufactured goods, improving Ireland's Balance of Payments
  • Provides income for Primary Sector by consuming their raw materials
• Changing trends in Manufacturing

  • Competition from low wage economies
  • Drop in oil prices
  • More capital intensive
  • Transnationals locating in Ireland
• Importance of Construction Industry to the Economy

  • Labour-intensive, creating employment and tax revenues
  • Major consumer in the Irish economy, increasing sales and profits of other businesses
  • Builds infrastructure essential for businesses
• Changing trends in Construction Industry

  • Growth since 2014 but shortage of skilled workers
  • Government investment in infrastructure projects
  • Sensitive to economic fluctuations
• Tertiary Sector


  Businesses that provide services to consumers and other businesses
• Importance of Tertiary Sector to the Economy

  • Largest source of employment, reducing social welfare payments and increasing tax revenues
  • Exports of services, improving Ireland's Balance of Payments
  • Attracts Transnationals with well-developed services
  • Creates jobs in tourism
• Changing trends in Tertiary Sector

  • Thriving financial services sector
  • Growth in discount retailers
  • Growth in tourism but negatively impacted by Brexit
  • Competition for town centre retailers from suburban shopping centres
  • Increased costs from pay rises and minimum wage
  • ICT changing how services are provided
• Factors of Production


  Land, Labour, Capital, Enterprise
• The concept of community development has evolved from being focused on physical infrastructure to addressing social issues such as poverty reduction, education, health care, and environmental sustainability.
• Development is the process by which an individual, group, community, organization, country, etc., improves its condition over time.
• Community is the people who live together, share common interests or have similar characteristics.