The acceleration in industrial growth which occurred in Ireland in the 1970s, the virtual cessation of emigration which it enabled for a time, and the.consequent increase in population in the Dublin region which resulted, ushered in problems of pollution and environmental degradation which had not previously been of serious concern. Among the most intractable of these has been that of smoke pollution in Dublin city, a problem further exacerbated by changes in fuel prices and preferences occurring during the late 1970s and 1980s. Though deterioration in air quality was linked in several studies to mortality and morbidity in the city from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, progress in controlling domestic smoke emissions has been limited by political inertia and opposition from commercial interests. The radical decision to ban bituminous coal sales within a designated area from 1st October 1990 has however transformed the situation, and renders compliance likely with EC mandatory limits by the target date of April 1993. This paper charts the turnaround in Dublin air quality and models the meteorological and emission conditions necessary to attain the stricter winter guide values of Directive 80/779.