The main reason is that Irish independence from Britain in 1922 was followed by a period of economic decline, heavy emigration and very little public or private building. Not until the late 1950's did the economy recover.

So during the prime period of Art Deco, 1925/39, Ireland built relatively few public buildings of any type.

There were few grand projects, little money and no skyscrapers. Few buildings were in the deco or moderne style. There were no great exhibitions, like those held in Paris in 1925, at Antwerp in 1930, or Brussels in 1937 to bring in foreign designers either. Irish art deco buildings are generally modest in scale, and relatively plain. No art deco cinemas survive intact in Ireland.

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