Twenty years ago, science communication in Ireland was barely a recognisable phenomenon. That began to change in the mid-1990s and science communication is now a well-recognised field of professional practice and of voluntary effort, involving state agencies, government departments, academic societies, higher education institutions and many more. A broadly similar process has been under way across scores of countries in all continents. The analyses and reflections collected here are elements of a case study of the rapid evolution of science communication in one country among many.