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Stories from the Celtic Tiger Years Mod Warning in OP PLEASE READ

chops018

Does anyone have any good (or bad) stories from the Celtic Tiger years?

You always hear phrases about how people partied etc., was there just a constant flow of credit available to people and people actually taking the money e.g. was there actually teachers on circa €30k a year buying a house and car and an apartment somewhere.

I was in school and college during these years, graduated into the recession, so I didn't really see what was fully going on at the time bar the fact everyone was working and had money. My dad was working on the buildings on great money and my mam was working away also, we were never stuck really money-wise, also rent seemed to be a lot cheaper back then and fuel and also my college fees were only around €800 a year along with wages being fairly similar to what they are now (from what I can remember anyway, will stand corrected if I am wrong)

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antgal23

View from up North

ca 2000 - walked into a shopping centre and lady stops and says " Do you wanna credit card? " " Yes, but I work abroad" " No problem, we'll sort that"

2 k later

2003 - Got a mortgage with 15 k deposit and I didn't have a full-time job, bar tender £150 a week

20005 - on holidays near Dublin - walked into local Centra and prices were thru the roof - fancy cheeses, prawns and wines. Now they sell three bags of apples for two Euro

corner of hells

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I witnessed a man snorting a line of hot tubs

I saw a bloke wearing a jacket made out of decking.

5555555555

Am I remembering correctly that there were Nitelinks most days of the week ?

griffin100

I was self employed for a couple of years at the height of the Celtic Tiger around 2003. I worked about 2-3 days a week and pulled in over €250k in two years doing safety and environmental consultancy. People paid nuts money for work .

I remember being asked to do a piece of subcontracted work for a much larger consultancy. I didn’t want to do it so quoted €5k for what was about a days work from my home office and told them I wasn’t available for another 6 weeks. Six weeks later I got an 8am call from them agreeing to the fee. I was paid €5k for what ended up being a simple piece of work, and they continued to use me paying stupid money until the crash hit (at which stage I had entered the public service).

It was a mad time when the value of money meant nothing. I regularly had my credit card limits doubled whenever I asked for an increase. I remember MBNA doubling a credit limit from €16k to €32k on one of three cards I had with them via text - no need to speak to anyone. At one stage I think I had just under €50k in credit available across 3 MBNA cards, and that wasn’t counting what I had on my BOI card.

sunnysoutheast

Knew someone who bought four luxury condos in Florida off-plan with a huge loan. Not even sure they ever got built, certainly he got no income from them. Emigrated leaving a massive financial mess.

We also got mortgage approval for near enough 300% of the amount we asked for!

iamstop

5555555555 wrote: »

Am I remembering correctly that there were Nitelinks most days of the week ?

Yes, and they had 'Champaign' service. But tbh most of us could tell is was actually not Champaign but a mid priced Moscato instead. The cheek.

[Deleted User]

Except Christmas Day, Bank Holidays were no real problem for anybody in particular. You could still buy anything you wanted in a Bricks & Mortar shop.

SEPT 23 1989

If you could sign your name or even make your mark you got a mortgage or loan

Sheep Shagger

ATMs that only dispensed €50 notes...

While not everyones cup of tea, David McWilliams 'the popes children's is pretty bang on (book and tv doco).

BBC did a good doco too at the time,isn't on YouTube either.

This one ain't bad from RTE https://youtu.be/ZSeJITHmDWQ

We look back and laugh (or cry) but as night follows day, history is always repeated. Maybe a bit different but essentially the same.

irishguitarlad

Celtic Tiger nights, Celtic tiger dreams

Better Than Christ

5555555555 wrote: »

Am I remembering correctly that there were Nitelinks most days of the week ?

At the height of the madness, the Nitelinks ran all day, every day.

Sheep Shagger

Better Than Christ wrote: »

At the height of the madness, the Nitelinks ran all day, every day.

Nightlinks during the day?

Better Than Christ

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Nightlinks during the day?

Yes. All day, every day.

Odelay

I don't know what a Nitelink is.

Motivator

I worked in a Mercedes dealership Friday’s and Saturday’s when I was in second year in college. I took the first two weeks of January off college because the dealership was so busy, all I was doing was registering the new cars and sorting the warranty’s all day every day. January 2005 if I remember correctly the main salesman in the dealership made €100,000+ in commission alone that month. It was unbelievable, I remember factory workers and Hairdressers coming in to buy his and hers Mercs.

That summer, 4 of the mechanics rented a helicopter to go to the Derby at the Curragh. €2,000 each!

completedit

These are brilliant. A fun time with serious consequences it seems. Maybe we needed to get it out of our system. I think we should bring up the celtic tiger more, the idea of people having 'notions' was cringeworthy a few years ago, but I think it was born out of an awareness of what came before.

FixdePitchmark

I remember champagne and strawberries - was at a few house parties and they had actual caterers and lads going around asking you what drink you want. Actual service.

Going to Vegas / New York for a long weekend - wasn't totally out of the question. Aer Lingus put on a direct flight to vegas.

mikemac2

dotsman wrote: »

Luxembourg is one of the best cities in Europe for a lad's weekend. Absolutely nothing boring about it.

Disagree

Even the Lux residents find it boring.

Now Cologne, best city in Europe!

FixdePitchmark

2lazytogetup wrote: »

inflation was rampant, everytime i went to the shops, the cost of everything was going up.

i think alot of the spending was because everyone else was spending. if the jones were buying a bulgarian property, why werent you. if they were going to new york for a shopping trip, you felt left out if you didnt do the same.

herd mentality. i think there is a deep psychological element to it. i feel jealous when i see them all going to electric picnic every year. and i know if i go, i would hate it.

I've always been very careful with money - but the pressure from people to "get in on the property game" - "to get on the ladder" - "don't waste your time in a public sector job" - " drive a proper car" - " get a small place in wexford" - "get a place in Spain". Bulgaria the next place - Eddie Hobbs and Cape Vede - like how the **** do you even get there.

You were either " a player" or not.

It was a strange time - and so much of the above pressure was coming from people much older like parents or uncles.

Outdoor hot tubs and decking - and completely unsuitable gas heaters and outdoor furniture - were the final throws.

Strange times - the parties were fantastic , once you were not the clown (in the PINK shirt) paying for them.

Many of the relationships and marriages were built on things as opposed to good foundations. Very fake situations were the norm.

It was sort of a Lad culture - except the women were onboard and as bad.

I enjoyed a good bit of it , but thank God I wasn't a player in the property area.

BUT - was there any real consequences for people who bought into it all in the end. They all seem to be nearly going for it again ?

Some just want the big life.

Unknownability

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I remember champagne and strawberries - was at a few house parties and they had actual caterers and lads going around asking you what drink you want. Actual service.

Going to Vegas / New York for a long weekend - wasn't totally out of the question. Aer Lingus put on a direct flight to vegas.

Aer Lingus never had a regular service to Las Vegas.

FixdePitchmark

Unknownability wrote: »

Aer Lingus never had a regular service to Las Vegas.

Your right it was LA - then car from there, all in a long weekend.

Ipso

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I've always been very careful with money - but the pressure from people to "get in on the property game" - "to get on the ladder" - "don't waste your time in a public sector job" - " drive a proper car" - " get a small place in wexford" - "get a place in Spain". Bulgaria the next place - Eddie Hobbs and Cape Vede - like how the **** do you even get there.

You were either " a player" or not.

It was a strange time - and so much of the above pressure was coming from people much older like parents or uncles.

Outdoor hot tubs and decking - and completely unsuitable gas heaters and outdoor furniture - were the final throws.

Strange times - the parties were fantastic , once you were not the clown (in the PINK shirt) paying for them.

Many of the relationships and marriages were built on things as opposed to good foundations. Very fake situations were the norm.

It was sort of a Lad culture - except the women were onboard and as bad.

I enjoyed a good bit of it , but thank God I wasn't a player in the property area.

BUT - was there any real consequences for people who bought into it all in the end. They all seem to be nearly going for it again ?

Some just want the big life.

Still, it was d’banks fault

Better Than Christ

Unknownability wrote: »

Aer Lingus never had a regular service to Las Vegas.

Yeah, I think it was Bus Éireann who ran the Las Vegas service. You had to change at Athlone, if I remember correctly, so it wasn't direct.

jay0109

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

BUT - was there any real consequences for people who bought into it all in the end. They all seem to be nearly going for it again ?

Some just want the big life.

You've never written truer words. It mostly feels like the fools were those who didn't spend and go mad

FixdePitchmark

Ipso wrote: »

Still, it was d’banks fault

Well the cash was from a global liberation of borrowing.

So - yes the banks and lack of regulation were a massive factor.

But - I think personality played a part too.

completedit

Ipso wrote: »

Still, it was d’banks fault

It was. Cheap credit and financial deregulation. Low interest rates set by ECB to suit German exports. Combine that with nouveau rich attitude to money and the rest is history.

We need good people at the helm to mitigate against the behavior of bewildered herd. Someone needed to cool down the economy but obviously we couldn't since the interest rate wasn't decided by us. Assets prices skyrocketing, people felt rich, the money flowed. Something needed to be done to curb it. I never would blame the ordinary person. Especially in a country like Ireland. We were like one of those binmen who wins the lottery and spends it all on coke and hookers. Somehow, we didn't lose everything. Arguably, and this is just my theory but the feel good period induced a lot of businesses to Ireland. Without that boom, maybe the lure wouldn't have been as strong. Ireland in the celtic tiger sounded like a good place to be when you were in it. We went from conservative to liberal within 1 generation(for better or worse depending on perspective). The boom arguably facilitated that. Nothing like excess in this life to make you forget salvation in the next.

Sultan of Bling

And the public sector.

ILoveYourVibes

I have a confession to make.

One day ..i wandered through the forest ..and i ate baby tiger's porridge! The WHOLE LOT OF IT....and baby Tiger LOVES porridge!

That is my story.....I don't understand money.

andekwarhola

I just kept working, living my life and raising my kids but for the purposes of the thread:

Breakfast Roll
Decking

Sneering
Living with Parents

Am I doing this right?

FixdePitchmark

Look at Ivan Yates - went to Wales , came back .

All Late Late and was going on as if we should all feel sorry for him as we all had > 25 % pay cuts and still have USC -10 years + on.

Now pontificates to us all - all day.