This article asserts the importance of developing a distinct Irish consumer law and argues that the matter of consumer protection cannot simply be ceded to Europe. In developing this argument, the article first identifies the hybrid common law and European origins of Irish consumer law. It then traces the development of consumer law in this jurisdiction and focuses on the re-activation of the national consumer protection agenda, both in Ireland and across the European Union, in the last decade. The article also argues that a necessary pre-requisite in setting a domestic agenda is a comprehensive understanding of the nature and distinguishing features of the domestic consumer. Hence, the article undertakes a critical analysis of available data indicating the ways in which Irish consumers understand and use consumer law, drawing on annual surveys commissioned by the National Consumer Agency; an extensive EU wide Eurobarometer study on Consumer Empowerment and a focussed Irish study conducted in Winter 2012.