nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

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)

Mod warning: Any further discussion of Financial institutions in depth will result in a thread ban. Do not derail this thread with that form of discussion.

Threadbanned users:
Randy Archer
ShatterAlan

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Larbre34

There was that time Amanda Brunker scorched her f@nny in a champagne bath at The Clarence.

Gerald Kean, John Maguire and Weddings by Franc played rock, paper, scissors with a loaded revolver to decide who would put cream on it.

Sultan of Bling

Zebra3 wrote:

Was it yourself?

Ssssssh

Larbre34

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Wonder what he's doing now?

3 to 5 for dealing.

branie2

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Wasnt he on the late late with his then fiancee showing off her engagement ring and him bragging about how much he paid for it.

A couple of weeks later their house was broken into and it was robbed.

Oh how i laughed!!!!

Karma?

Zebra3

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Wasnt he on the late late with his then fiancee showing off her engagement ring and him bragging about how much he paid for it.

A couple of weeks later their house was broken into and it was robbed.

Oh how i laughed!!!!

Was it yourself? :pac:

whippet

It was regular enough that as a bunch of lads not being able to get taxis home from the city centre we had a couple of hotels who would be more than willing to let us have a lock in until 6/7am - and it would be bottle after bottle of champagne.

One or two of the lads were 'developers' - in reality builders with massive banking debts; driving range rovers at 25 years of age - they always footed the bill.

Some great nights but the absolute waste of money was unreal

[Deleted User]

I don't know Kean, but saw him on TV a few times and he did seem like mighty craic tbh. But people don't like flash.

Sky King

Randy Archer wrote: »

They didn’t know how to act like wealthy people

We need a thread on how to act like the wealthy.

Randy Archer

Akabusi wrote: »

I know a guy who set up a pluming business and thought he was billy big balls, had the nice cars and bought several properties, that was all grand but he relished in telling people how rich he was and what he was spending his money on. One of his last big projects was to buy land in the local area and build a mansion on it. The crash came and it never got finished, he owed a lot to local suppliers and they got stung badly, Anyone who could came and stripped the house to get back their items windows, gutters etc. were taken back. It was eventually sold by the bank and got bulldozed. He works in a phone shop now.

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Wasnt he on the late late with his then fiancee showing off her engagement ring and him bragging about how much he paid for it.

A couple of weeks later their house was broken into and it was robbed.

Oh how i laughed!!!!

He’d have fan boys like Barry Egan (a pathetic waste of space , very punchable ) declaring that we are all begrudgers

Nope, we just don’t think being flash and arrogant is smart. Work hard and earn money legally and honestly , best of luck , but nuveau Riche are ghastly people. Don’t see old money folk boast or remind the world that they are fabulously wealthy

The odd thing about many of those who got wealth , whether real or borrowed, many came across as extremely TACKY !! They didn’t know how to act like wealthy people

Sultan of Bling

Randy Archer wrote:

Ha losers like him should never be allowed to forget how he behaved himself and always reminded that he is and always will be a failure

Wasnt he on the late late with his then fiancee showing off her engagement ring and him bragging about how much he paid for it.

A couple of weeks later their house was broken into and it was robbed.

Oh how i laughed!!!!

Randy Archer

Akabusi wrote: »

I know a guy who set up a pluming business and thought he was billy big balls, had the nice cars and bought several properties, that was all grand but he relished in telling people how rich he was and what he was spending his money on. One of his last big projects was to buy land in the local area and build a mansion on it. The crash came and it never got finished, he owed a lot to local suppliers and they got stung badly, Anyone who could came and stripped the house to get back their items windows, gutters etc. were taken back. It was eventually sold by the bank and got bulldozed. He works in a phone shop now.

Ha losers like him should never be allowed to forget how he behaved himself and always reminded that he is and always will be a failure

gmisk

JimmyVik wrote: »

"
"Lords and Ladies, Nobility of the Realm," it began with fitting grandiosity, "the honour of thy presence is hereby requested at the 50th Birthday Party of Dr Gerald Ronan Kean to be enjoyed at the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt, Enniskerry, County Wicklow."
Nor was this to be a common or garden black tie affair. The dress code for the evening -- which would be strictly enforced -- was full costume from the aristocratic courts of 18th Century France.
And, needless to say, when the regal proceedings began at 7pm last night in the Ritz Carlton, the birthday boy himself, Mr Kean, stepped into the waiting assembly dressed in black and gold brocade as King Louis XVI.
To his right, Gerald's girlfriend -- and Michael Flatley's former fiancee -- Lisa Murphy came as Marie Antoinette, complete with diamond jewels of the era. She was serenely self-possessed in the midst of the hurly-burly of 300 well wishers milling about in full 18th century regalia. Smiling coquettishly, Lisa didn't look like a lady who was going to get her head cut off.
"I am wearing a dress that was specially made by Sands in London," Lisa told me. "They actually made the costumes for the movie Marie Antoinette. I am going to change into another dress, that I bought in America, halfway through the evening. It is blue and gold."
I remark that the vertigo-inducing shoes she is wearing are hardly reminiscent of the 18th century.
"I know!" she said with a laugh. "I don't like the shoes of that period. They weren't high enough. I'm in Roberto Cavilli gold shoes -- to match the dress."
TV3's Lorraine Keane wore a purple and gold dress designed and made by her friend Synan O'Mahony in Italian lace and brocade. She cooed that Peter Mark's Gary Kavanagh created a coiffure masterpiece.
All the guests were announced officially upon arrival, as in, "Lord and Lady Ahern" or "Lord and Lady Keating". Also "Lord and Lady Moya Brennan" (of Clannad, with her husband Tim Jarvis) were expected, as was "Lord and Lady Martin King" and "Lord and Lady Fiachna O'Braonain"."

I got sick after getting that far.

Ah Gerald Kean...wasn't he kicked out of his offices recently? Owing a tonne of dough...

JimmyVik

Muscles Schultz wrote: »

Let me guess.....Barry Egan?

"
"Lords and Ladies, Nobility of the Realm," it began with fitting grandiosity, "the honour of thy presence is hereby requested at the 50th Birthday Party of Dr Gerald Ronan Kean to be enjoyed at the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt, Enniskerry, County Wicklow."
Nor was this to be a common or garden black tie affair. The dress code for the evening -- which would be strictly enforced -- was full costume from the aristocratic courts of 18th Century France.
And, needless to say, when the regal proceedings began at 7pm last night in the Ritz Carlton, the birthday boy himself, Mr Kean, stepped into the waiting assembly dressed in black and gold brocade as King Louis XVI.
To his right, Gerald's girlfriend -- and Michael Flatley's former fiancee -- Lisa Murphy came as Marie Antoinette, complete with diamond jewels of the era. She was serenely self-possessed in the midst of the hurly-burly of 300 well wishers milling about in full 18th century regalia. Smiling coquettishly, Lisa didn't look like a lady who was going to get her head cut off.
"I am wearing a dress that was specially made by Sands in London," Lisa told me. "They actually made the costumes for the movie Marie Antoinette. I am going to change into another dress, that I bought in America, halfway through the evening. It is blue and gold."
I remark that the vertigo-inducing shoes she is wearing are hardly reminiscent of the 18th century.
"I know!" she said with a laugh. "I don't like the shoes of that period. They weren't high enough. I'm in Roberto Cavilli gold shoes -- to match the dress."
TV3's Lorraine Keane wore a purple and gold dress designed and made by her friend Synan O'Mahony in Italian lace and brocade. She cooed that Peter Mark's Gary Kavanagh created a coiffure masterpiece.
All the guests were announced officially upon arrival, as in, "Lord and Lady Ahern" or "Lord and Lady Keating". Also "Lord and Lady Moya Brennan" (of Clannad, with her husband Tim Jarvis) were expected, as was "Lord and Lady Martin King" and "Lord and Lady Fiachna O'Braonain"."

I got sick after getting that far.

dennyire

Muscles Schultz wrote: »

Let me guess.....Barry Egan?

who else

Kevhog1988

I was in college from 2005 to 2008. I remember it was fierce easy to earn money in the summers of 2005 & 2006 on the buildings which bank rolled my year in college but in 2008 it was a real struggle to get through the year. Some mad stories:

I know lads who payed almost 40k an acre for agricultural land.
A fellow gave me a 50 euro tip for washing his car.
i bought a car, taxed and insured it after 1 month working on a building site at 17.
plasterers on the site i worked on worked 3.5 days per week.

Muscles Schultz

JimmyVik wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/lords-and-ladies-of-the-realm-gathered-for-geralds-deliciously-decadent-50th-26327902.html

Let me guess.....Barry Egan?

[Deleted User]

JimmyVik wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/lords-and-ladies-of-the-realm-gathered-for-geralds-deliciously-decadent-50th-26327902.html

Oh lord the cringe of it all

JimmyVik

https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/lords-and-ladies-of-the-realm-gathered-for-geralds-deliciously-decadent-50th-26327902.html

CrankyHaus

Randy Archer wrote: »

Farmers driving Mercs with their trailers ... was gangsta

Actually that reminds me of one time I saw a Porsche towing a 1720 racing yacht on its trailer during the Tiger.

Not a Porsche SUV either. It was a roadster like a 911 or a Boxster. The gearbox must have been banjaxxed. I had no idea you could even put a tow-bar on a Porsche like that. If they ever get wind of it in Stuttgart we'll have to send Aonghus Von Bismarck over to apologise on behalf of the whole country.

5555555555

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/this-is-anglo-so-there-is-only-one-thing-to-do-party-1.589487

Randy Archer

Deleted User wrote: »

No, but there were a couple of hired celebrities. It was cringe.

Lol, some of them models probably moon lighted as prossies , if you asked nicely

Randy Archer

Lia_lia wrote: »

I was in school for all of it (did the leaving in 2007) so didn’t even really realise what was going on. My family never had much money and held low paid jobs through the boom and recession. Good thing meant the recession didn’t have a negative impact on us either. And was a great time to be in college!

Was it ?

Students in 2002-2006 never had to worry about money as loans were easy to get, and there were always loads of a
Handy supermarket or pub jobs to finance college and social life. Those on grants would get about 2 grand every two months or so , which was loads if you went to college outside Dublin as rent was often cheaper . Naturally social life consisted of at least 3-4 nights out during the week and Saturday night (County vec days )

I know people who went to college between 2006-2010 at times were tougher . Part time jobs were hard to come by And one year there were serious delays in grants coming through, and some college tuition fees weren’t covered and colleges were like “pay up or **** off”

Then again, deep in the really bad times, post college , some of my posse managed regular drinking during the week after work and the odd Saturday night on crappy pay and rent in Dublin wasn’t horrendous compared to post 2014 . Odd

Pinch Flat

thunderdog wrote: »

Out of a class of 25 doing the Junior Cert in 2000, 12 lads packed in school to work on building sites. I distinctly remember one of the lads, in the lead up to the JC exams, telling a teacher that he doesn’t need bother with school and the exams as he will be earning twice the teachers wage in a couple of months!

Wonder what he's doing now?

Mickiemcfist

Sky King wrote: »

Oh that reminds me of another one - jerks down from Dublin in a pub ordering shots of Middleton at 16 quid a glass.... and mixing it with coke.

16 quid a glass, that's a bargain for Middleton! Celtic tiger wasn't all bad I guess!

Sky King

Randy Archer wrote: »

Genius. Nothing more funnier than the “new money” people with notions . Serves those plebs right to be duped

Oh that reminds me of another one - jerks down from Dublin in a pub ordering shots of Middleton at 16 quid a glass.... and mixing it with coke.

Sky King

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Wonder what he's doing now?

He's probably still wasting away as a teacher. Man I would hate that job.

Be grand to get paid to do fck all though I suppose.

Pinch Flat

thunderdog wrote: »

Out of a class of 25 doing the Junior Cert in 2000, 12 lads packed in school to work on building sites. I distinctly remember one of the lads, in the lead up to the JC exams, telling a teacher that he doesn’t need bother with school and the exams as he will be earning twice the teachers wage in a couple of months!

Wonder what he's doing now?

[Deleted User]

Randy Archer wrote: »

Any strippers? They use to be all the rage back in the day but sadly, unlike London etc ,the quality was rubbish .How ghastly

No, but there were a couple of hired celebrities. It was cringe.

thunderdog

Out of a class of 25 doing the Junior Cert in 2000, 12 lads packed in school to work on building sites. I distinctly remember one of the lads, in the lead up to the JC exams, telling a teacher that he doesn’t need bother with school and the exams as he will be earning twice the teachers wage in a couple of months!

Randy Archer

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

I remember working in a bar when the builders knocked off for Christmas, and being asked for pints of Baileys.

In another hotel in the same town, at weddings we'd sell a good drop of Remy Martin Louis XIII at 80 quid a go. The manager had the empty bottle which he used to fill with Hennessy, and he used to say that if anyone from around here (he was from Cork) asked for it, he was certain they didnt know what it tasted like. No one ever noticed.

Genius. Nothing more funnier than the “new money” people with notions . Serves those plebs right to be duped