Village of Prosperous outside Dublin failing to live up to its name

Another town bogged down by Celtic Tiger collapse

Economist Juliet Tennet with Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin confirmed Mayor Nolan’s fears - “That disconnect between the headline numbers, how the world views Ireland and what it feels like on ground is going to persist for some time.

“Consumers continue to be faced with austerity, tight credit conditions, a weak labour market and high household debt.”

Evidently, the hard times are spread evenly over all the generations. Struggling alongside Sean Reilly is 25 year old Ger Boland, a videographer who has seen work all but disappear over the last few years. Aside from the work, he’s seen most of his friends emigrate elsewhere - Boland is currently waiting for a Visa application to head for the US like so many other Irish people have done.

“In the boom, the work was immense,” said Boland, who this month helped organize a three-day music festival in Prosperous aimed at restoring the village as a venue and giving a boost to local businesses. “Now, with the recession, I have so much time on my hands.”

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Nster.com