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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

No more Celtic Tiger but most Irish seem unfazed --global success story never rang true for many anyway

Posted on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 12:03 AM

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Dublin: If you thought the Irish were overwhelmed and utterly focused on their economic crisis this week you would be mistaken.

Every major newspaper here on Sunday led not with the crisis, but the fact that radio shock jock Gerry Ryan had cocaine in his system when he was found dead last April.

While important news, it was hardly the stuff of wall to wall coverage but then the Irish were probably thankful for the diversion from the grim economic tidings.

Even the quality newspapers devoted page after page to Ryan despite a looming general election and continuing speculation about the IMF bailout and what it means.

If you had dropped in from outer space you might have wondered why was this Ryan man so important.

The answer is when it comes to bread or circus, the Irish prefer the circus for now thank you very much.

Meanwhile, life in Dublin goes on with a merry twinkle despite the hard times. A thaw in the recent harsh weather brought tens of thousands of them onto the streets on Sunday, not demonstrating but shopping.

The children lining up to see Santa and some Christmas animals outside the Mansion House in Dublin, home of the Lord Mayor, luckily didn't overhear the remark of one passer by.

"Look at that donkey" he said, pointing to the little animal shivering in the stable." He's perfect. We make an ass of ourselves and now the Lord Mayor has decided to show off his ass."

It was classic Dublin wit but with a grain of truth. This Christmas the Irish are feeling somewhat foolish as they survey the wreckage of what Queen Elizabeth would surely call an "Annus Horribilis"

But despite all the bad news I can report there is life in the old Emerald Isle yet. Grafton Street, the main shopping thoroughfare was thronged, the bookstores were crowded and a Christmas spirit like only the Irish can whip up prevailed.

My friend an eminent journalist has a theory. "we're not happy being happy, we're not happy being successful" he said.

"For eight hundred years and all that we had tyranny and jackboot and failed rebellions. Then we had a few happy years, but this is much more like our natural state."

He may be on to something. Many here remark on the lack of protest, no general strikes like in Greece, when the IMF moved in, no student riots like in England when the college fees went up.

The Irish seem happy enough in their bad fortune. That sounds like a paradox, but if you know the Irish psyche, whether it is the history of martyrdom, the powerful psychic appeal of such heroes, of defeat snatched from victory's jaws then it is not surprising.

There is the general expectation that as Daniel Patrick Moynihan once remarked, "To be Irish is to know the world will break your heart."

That is not to say that there is no anger, there is a deep and abiding loathing of banker's politicians, developers and everyone else who caused this mess.

But there is also a serenity which comes with the DNA and the realization that Murphy's Law has won out.

A political friend told me a recent focus group he observed just wanted to know one thing. "Is all the bad news out and if so, then let's get on with it."

That is the Irish way, pragmatic stoicism for want of a better term. The Celtic Tiger has become the abandoned cub, and in it's place is a bear-like depression.

Yet the Irish soldier on. The Grafton Street lights blink brighter than ever, the street buskers sing of a "Nation Once Again." and the nation hobbles forward.

Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom as the psalm says

These are "no mean people" these Irish as Yeats once remarked.

He got that right.

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pacifist | Dec 14, 2010, 07:23 PM EST

Mr. O'Dowd, I can assure you that your are totally wrong in your assertion in thinking the Gerry Ryan saga is thought to be more important than the economic calamity brought on us by the Fianna Fail led government. Gerry Ryan was an icon - idol worshipped by thousands and thousands of people. He regularily doled out advice to troubled people on his radio show, but he himself was in dire straits. It appears he was addicted to cocaine and most of his colleagues in the Irish electronic media knew of this. But many of them don't want attention to stay on the subject lest they are queried on why they remained silent and why didn't they try to help him. Perhaps they too are cokeheads. But Gerry Ryan has been proved to be, like the rest of humanity, a man with feet of clay - a human being who had serious flaws. Yet this was the man RTE, the national broadcaster, employed and to whom people listened as if he was an expert of resolving peoples diffidulties. As for the Celtic Tiger it was more of a " paper tiger " - an illusion, a magicians smoke and mirrors trick. The so called economic miracle wasn't real and the economy was built on a foundation of hot-air balloons - an elaborate and beautiful facade, but without substance. Perhaps a lot like Gerry Ryan . . . . and ourselves personally. The country is falling apart and you imagine we don't care? Get real!

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Liamkeyes | Dec 14, 2010, 06:36 PM EST

After John F. Kennedy's remains were brought back to Washington D.C. from Dallas, Daniel Patrick Moynihan(D.N.Y.) went over to Mary McGrory the Washington Correspondent for the Boston Globe and said through his Tear filled eyes and said "Oh Mary, you're not fully Irish until you realise that this world will eventually break your heart." How true!!!

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ancavker | Dec 14, 2010, 03:59 PM EST

watchman: yeats comment ( no petty people) was in reference to the Anglo-irish Protestants

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CitizenWhy | Dec 14, 2010, 11:01 AM EST

Some of my relatives (not all) in Ireland were very well off before the so-called Celtic Tiger. They never, ever believed their house was worth the huge sum the brokers told them they could get. They just loved the house and the neighborhood. They also stopped investing in real estate. They could not conceive of where all the money was coming from in such a small economy. Now we know: it was being pumped in from Germany, England and France. To be paid back by a foolish government at a terrible price. ... My farmer relatives, prosperous indeed, never sold any of their land at ridiculous prices to the developers. They thought the whole frantic game was rigged in some way, and did not want to be part of it, or divest of productive land that promised steady earnings over many years as opposed to one big payoff. ... They were examples of pragmatic stoicism (with fun thrown in) even when doing well.

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sirpeter | Dec 14, 2010, 10:39 AM EST

(1)@seamusmoore..If you read my post..i said it would have a knock on effect..The very last thing the Germans want is Ireland to pull out of the euro,that,s why they made us take the loan.I know it would take Spain to pull out and that could very well happen..So believe it or not we do have Irish uber-clout.I think what you are forgetting is the Euro has been under attack since it came into been, by the Dollar and and Stirling who never wanted the Euro.Look the Irish economy is very small as you said.I don't think they could have raised the interest rate as it would effect all the other EU countries too,that's why this mess is happening in other countries as well..they cannot rise interest rates to tailor each country,the Euro seems to be perched pretty near the edge of a cliff.To be honest I'm not quite sure what will happen.But most posters here were wondering why the Irish were not taking to the streets in fits of rage.

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sirpeter | Dec 14, 2010, 10:38 AM EST

(2)We gave our Sovereignty away in 1973 and more with every treaty, but it means nothing to the Irish people as long as Brussels's keep us happy and they did,we got more per head of population then any other country.But we gave just as much back in natural resources.This 4 year plan or whatever,chances are it will not work.From what i am hearing people want a political change and their could very well be a Labour/Sinn fein government at some stage depending on how much the government turn the screw.Fianna Fáil/Fine Gale are shi*ting themselves where Sinn Fein are concerned.I'll be voting Sinn Fein because they are the only party whose policies make any sense,and if they can strike a deal with the Unionists,then these are the guys to send to Europe to renegotiate this €85 billion crappy deal we got.

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teddybeartwo | Dec 14, 2010, 09:34 AM EST

Seamusmoore you missed my point. GREED man, that's what "done it." Whether or not Tiger returns doesn't depend on logic.....GREED man.

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seamusmoore | Dec 14, 2010, 12:43 AM EST

@sirpeter: Hate to be the one to shatter your sense of Irish uber-clout in the geopolitical project known as the EU: but it would take Spain's collapse to implode the Euro. Spain's economy is twice the size of Ireland,Portugal and Greece COMBINED. Looking back at the last decade, do you really think if Ireland's economy was that important to the Euro, that the ECB would not have burst the real estate bubble by raising interest rates? Ireland is 4.5MM people; Germany 80MM, France 62MM and Italy 44MM were Brussel's priorities in terms of interest rate policy. While the govt budget cuts of the last 2 years don't appear to have affected Ireland too greatly yet, Ireland is just beginning a period of deflation similar to what Japan experienced in the 1990's, after their real estate bubble burst. Raising taxes and cutting spending will contract the Irish economy even more in the near time. Sadly, for Ireland and its people, the worst is yet to come.

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sirpeter | Dec 13, 2010, 11:41 PM EST

Bet a good few here are disappointed the Irish people are not down to their last crust of bread.Delighted to disappoint a good few posters here.Neill must have been reading my posts.But then even most of the article is bullsh*t.One article says we are all in rip roaring bad mood and the next the Irish are unfazed.You are damn right we are unfazed,but the crooks and villains will be out of office by March.Plenty of money in Ireland boys and girls and that's all that matters to the ordinary people.We will still spend and we will continue to party like we have always done.A few happy years..what bullsh*t..According to Nation Master we are one of the most happiest people in the world and i'd agree with that.The Irish drink to much and the world worries to much and we'll all meet our maker much to soon,but the Irish will arrive happier.The Irish nation has never hobbled forward,but has always stood proud.And if Labour and Sinn Fein have enough elected.Europe can kiss it's 85 Billion goodbye or we will collapse the Euro which will have a knock on effect on Portugal,Greece,and Spain and that will be the end of the Euro.Stick that in your sauerkraut,ye bunch of economic Nazis.The Irish people know what ye are up too.We know ye Germans can't afford to let that happen.So listen to what Tricky Dicky said,spoil the party and we will get mean.

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B.Ohara | Dec 13, 2010, 06:25 PM EST

A sad thing non the less. As you say, in our nature I suppose.

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barneyjo | Dec 13, 2010, 06:09 PM EST

Well, thats the Irish Race for you; always looking for some kind of yoke or another to put on!!!!. Tis in out DNA surely!!!

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B.Ohara | Dec 13, 2010, 04:42 PM EST

I believe its a terrible shame that Ireland is beholding to Brussels for the rest of our lives and future generations as well. The Irish have thrown off the yoke of England but willingly accepted the economic yoke of the EU.

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LoyalCitizen | Dec 13, 2010, 04:36 PM EST

@GeorgeDillon: We biggest goofs in the world. Well actually Irish Politicians.

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Watchman | Dec 13, 2010, 02:11 PM EST

I'm glad to hear that Dublin is battling on. Yeats actually said "no petty people". It was your pal Gerry Adams who said we were no mean people. Speaking of whom, I note that Irish Central's account of Bertie Ahern's allegation that Adams and McGuinness knew all about the Northern Bank robbery is mainly taken up with Gerry's denial. The great man repeats, for good measure, that he was never a member of the IRA. Right! It must have been that omission in his curriculum vitae that so empowered him as the Republican movement's number one man.

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cuddlybuddly | Dec 13, 2010, 12:17 PM EST

Great article Niall, it's so true from what I can see! it's a bit funny as well, how utterly unfazed we are,like children distracted by bright baubles, shopping away as if nothing was going on...not rioting, fighting for our lives...but shopping!! ha ha

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