Conclusion

While therefore, there can be no doubt about the major contribution of theorists such as Cantillon, Cairnes, Edgeworth, Geary, Gorman and Arthur to the development of the subject as a whole, and to this extent there was nothing specifically Irish about their contribution, it can also be argued that they did have one major characteristic in common. This is that their models and theories were never ends in themselves, but designed to facilitate an understanding of the real economy. In this, their Irish background, in an economy very different from that of England but also one which was in a very special relationship to it, made them particularly aware of both specific institutional features, and the dangers of general maxims.