Ireland is going through a period which will be seen as pivotal in its history. We will soon know the details of the 4 year plan aimed at stabilising Ireland's fiscal imbalances. This will be followed by a budget which will have a major financial, social and political impact in Ireland. These developments are also important for the eurozone and for the EU.Professor John FitzGerald is perhaps one of best placed persons to comment on Ireland's economic crisis. He is head of Macroeconomics at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin, Ireland, which he joined in 1984 after 12 years at the Irish Department of Finance.Throughout his career, Professor FitzGerald has made substantial contributions to economic policy in Ireland, including Ireland's membership of the Economic and Monetary Union. He is the lead author of the influential bi-annual Medium-Term Review which forecasts economic development in Ireland for the next two decades. Professor FitzGerald has been a member of many committees, including the Irish National Economic and Social Council and the EU Group for Economic Analysis. He is a former president of the Irish Economic Association, and a former president of the EuroFRAME group of economic forecasters.