However, our economy grew. I always believed that the Single Market gave us freedom to trade. The political assistance we got from Europe helped us to stand up to the old monopolies that had oppressed the Irish economy from the foundation of the State and gave us the lowest economic growth recorded in western Europe in the period from 1925 or 1930 to 1965. When Ireland began to open up its market in the 1960s one could see that Irish people were just as competitive and keen to make progress as everyone else. What Ireland achieved is wonderful and I do not believe we could have done it without the European Union.