In the past, Ireland was mainly an agricultural country with good productive soils and a mild climate, with most people living on the land or from it. Notwithstanding the achievements in agricultural production in the past half century, there has been a gradual decline in the relative importance of agriculture in the country's economy: now fewer than 10% of the population is engaged in farming, largely due to extraordinary growth in other sectors of the economy in the last few decades. The European Union that Ireland joined was a zone of food surpluses, which led to economic policies that shifted away from production towards a greater awareness of environmental issues, with consequent restrictions on fertilizer use and guidelines to safeguard water quality. It was inevitable that these societal and structural changes would impact agricultural education in Ireland, particularly in soil science. Soil science education in Ireland was the domain of the Faculty of Agriculture at University College Dublin, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, while applied soil research was the focus of the national soils research center at Johnstown Castle, now part of TEAGASC, the national agricultural research and advisory service. To a limited extent, soil- related research and education is pursued at the new University of Limerick. The changing perception of agriculture and indeed rural living by Ireland's largely urban society and the current emphasis away from production agriculture towards the environment has had a profound influence on soil science research and education, indeed on the agricultural sciences as a whole. In this presentation, we examine the historical evolution of soil science education and research in Ireland and highlight its relevance to modern society and the scientific challenges facing it, at the same time recognizing the need to while ensure sustainable food production capacity for future generations.