Neo Liberal policies as such weren't introduced until Charlie McCreevy and PDs decided they preferred Boston to Berlin and introduced pro-cyclical tax reductions at a time of booming development and construction.  You may not be happy with economic policies prior to 1997 but to describe them as neo-liberal would be inaccurate.  There was huge state intervention in economic activity, the trade unions were officially recognised as "social partners" in national economic planning, and social welfare and minimum wages were increased (to what is now regarded as an unsustainable degree).  Throwing the neo-liberal label around too liberally is no more helpful that making nationalistic or Godwinian allegations.

Index of Frank's Diaries