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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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facehugger99

retalivity wrote: »

the only one i remember is the French one who died.

Joan of Arc?

Napoleon?

Sophie Toscan du Plantier?

Sebastian Dangerfield

Ridiculous Irish weddings are still a legacy of Celtic Tiger. Standing outside in the fcuking cold in the middle of December trying to light lanterns to set off into the sky. I was at one a couple of years ago where the party kept getting broken up so we could watch the couples "first dance" for the fifth time - the bride had a number of songs that were special to her, apparently. All the while being warned repeatedly over the microphone not to take photos or videos, the only record of the day was to be the official "approved media". All this after she was an hour and a half late to the church. The poor fella she married would only wash himself on special occasions if he was let, I think they'll be very happy.

My wife was asked to be a bridesmaid recently. She hadnt a clue why she was being summoned for makeup at 5:30am for a wedding 8 hours later. It all made sense when she walked in, glowing in the dark like Singin Bernie Walsh. She didnt realise that all women of all hair colours and complexions need to be tangoed for the traditional Irish wedding - poor woman was mortified.

God be with the days when a wedding was judged solely on how much mash and veg was served with the dinner.

vandriver

corner of hells wrote: »

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

Canada Spruce?

JimmyVik

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Weddings by Franc. Did anything ever symbolise the waste of the Celtic Tiger more and the sh1te people did.

I was actually at one about 5 years ago. Not one of the ones on TV.

He decked the place out in ikea lights and led strips. Then had some weird circus act on in the middle. And then at midnight they passed candles around to everone and lit them. It was absurd.

All the while Franc going around clicking his fingers at waiting staff and posing for selfies.
I asked the groom how much he charged a few years later. €20K was Francs fee. All other expenses, food, venue on top of that.

Salvadoor

buried wrote: »

But they don't, they haven't had a say since the 70's, politicians don't set the rates, the banks do that, central and commercial. Politicians didn't tell the banks to hand out 200,000 euro loans to people whose only profession was being a babysitter. The banks did that on their own head, with no regulations, and then when it all spectacularly fell on its arse, the banks demanded that the politicians bail them out.

We don't want your facts around here!

Captain Havoc

I lived abroad for most of the boom. I came back in 2007 just in time for the crash. I was working in what I'm qualified to do but then I got job selling furniture as the pay was a good bit more than my own job. I couldn't believe I'd spent four years in college to end up getting a better paid job that you don't even need a junior cert for. Anyway, I stayed selling furniture for five years but our commission died in 2008, which meant pay was terrible.

Before the bust though, I remember the pubs and nightclubs hopping except for Tuesdays. Football was always a good excuse, Liverpool are playing Notts county in the league cup first round, that's sounds terrible but Johnny was heading it to watch it, and we should keep him company. Saturday night just wasn't worth it, the main nightlcubs has queues, you could be waiting an hour or more to get into coppers midweek.

sheepondrugs

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Yeah, he lost the premises. Lads like that who mix in high society circles will always get a few opportunities to bounce back unlike most of us if we were in a tricky spot.

He will once again adorn the front page of Barry Egans Indo Christmas spread. I have no doubt about it.

His offices are in Lucan now at Grifeeen shopping centre. Must be a change from
Baggot St or wherever.

retalivity

I was in college in dublin in the early 2000s and worked in club Anabel under the Burlington for about 18 months in 2004-05 (after the infamous death).
During horse show week one of those years the place was heaving and the money being spent/wasted was outrageous. Bottles of cristal were the most expensive thing on the menu at 350 a pop, and we used to rum out of them before 1am. Big pink faced middle aged lads in pink shirts dropping 200 on rounds of vodka and red bull 4-5 times a night, then getting kicked out for doing lines in the bathroom. Ladies leaving expensive bags/phones/purses/coats behind and never showing up to collect them - theybhad to get rid of the older stuff in the lost and found to make way for the new stuff coming in nightly. Lads throwing 20 quid at you to serve them next, tipping 50s on rounds of 50s, finding notes all over the floor when the place was cleared out and the lights on, madness. Used to make more on the side than the nights wage most nights.

I remember that there were multiple bottles of cristal left over and not even half finished, we (the staff) tried to sample what was left to see what €350 champagne tastes like, the bottle was promptly taken off us by the head/senior barman and poured down the sink - "this was paid for by someone who left it behind - it is not for anyone elsr to touch". This became a regular occurence where they rounded up the expensive stuff left behind and dumped it asap, to make sure noone else touched it.

Served quite the strange array of people in there, most of the Irish rugby team, Alan Kelly, Steven Reid and Brad Friedel - Blackburn had a friendly in dublin, lads went on the rip til 5am in the private bar, Olympian Cian O'Connor (tosser), and a slew of vacuous nobodies who graced the celeb pages at the time - the only one i remember is the French one who died.

Worked alongside a current radio presenter in there, he was as woke then as he is now - offering multiple opportunities to the females that the lads couldnt avail of!

PTH2009

glasso wrote: »

it's getting a bit late for a comeback for him.

by all accounts he is supposed to be (from people I know who know him socially) great fun out and about.

Wasn't he on that Celebrity GAA thing?

Spoiled the team he was in charge, whole squad off to the UK etc

[Deleted User]

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Yeah, he lost the premises. Lads like that who mix in high society circles will always get a few opportunities to bounce back unlike most of us if we were in a tricky spot.

He will once again adorn the front page of Barry Egans Indo Christmas spread. I have no doubt about it.

it's getting a bit late for a comeback for him.

by all accounts he is supposed to be (from people I know who know him socially) great fun out and about.

buried

pyramuid man wrote: »

Politicians should not have any say in how banks conduct their business. In my opinion, they drove a lot of the excessive borrowing that caused the bubble in the first place.

But they don't, they haven't had a say since the 70's, politicians don't set the rates, the banks do that, central and commercial. Politicians didn't tell the banks to hand out 200,000 euro loans to people whose only profession was being a babysitter. The banks did that on their own head, with no regulations, and then when it all spectacularly fell on its arse, the banks demanded that the politicians bail them out.

ChikiChiki

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

Could have sworn I read recently he was in financial difficulty, something about not being able to pay the commercial rent on his premises. I may be mistaken.

I booked a seat on a charter flight to a Man Utd v Liverpool game back in 2010-ish and himself and the missus were on it. Didnt talk to him for long but he seemed pleasant enough.

Yeah, he lost the premises. Lads like that who mix in high society circles will always get a few opportunities to bounce back unlike most of us if we were in a tricky spot.

He will once again adorn the front page of Barry Egans Indo Christmas spread. I have no doubt about it.

pyramuid man

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Thank god ay.

Although I'm worried at the political parties asking for this to be relaxed.

Politicians should not have any say in how banks conduct their business. In my opinion, they drove a lot of the excessive borrowing that caused the bubble in the first place.

John_Rambo

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Still practising and coining it in no doubt.

I've met him (Gerald Kean) and he's a really nice, warm, personable guy. Seems to be a common theme with a lot of people that don't have a great public persona.

Sebastian Dangerfield

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

Still practising and coining it in no doubt.

Could have sworn I read recently he was in financial difficulty, something about not being able to pay the commercial rent on his premises. I may be mistaken.

I booked a seat on a charter flight to a Man Utd v Liverpool game back in 2010-ish and himself and the missus were on it. Didnt talk to him for long but he seemed pleasant enough.

Sultan of Bling

glasso wrote:

the music stopped for poor auld Gerald.

Still practising and coining it in no doubt.

[Deleted User]

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Whatever happened Gerard Kean?

the music stopped for poor auld Gerald.

Sebastian Dangerfield

freshpopcorn wrote: »

It was generally the exact same colour and basic trim but it had a new plate!

My auld fella was one of these. He'd buy it in January, and start hinting at an upgrade over the summer. By November he'd be turning down the radio mid drive going "do you hear that? Something rattling, that's a sign it needs to be changed", then go again. He used cycle everywhere up to 1999, suddenly he was driving to the chipper across the road because he'd "to get petrol anyway".

He did switch from a Focus ("best car on the road") to an Avensis ("them Fords are $hite") in 2003 which was the most exciting thing to happen in our house for a while. The Avensis came with a free toasted sandwich maker for some reason, and himself sat outside in a rage polishing the interior of a new car while we were all inside scalding our mouths with volcanic cheese. Good times

PhilOssophy

Weddings by Franc. Did anything ever symbolise the waste of the Celtic Tiger more and the sh1te people did.

PhilOssophy

Mister Vain wrote: »

People trying to outdo their neighbors with bigger TV's, bigger cars and bigger tits.

What's wrong with bigger tits?

freshpopcorn

CrankyHaus wrote: »

In its own way that sort of excess was as bad though. I knew of a couple out in Coolock who bought new Mondeos every year. Like what's the point? You're down all that money and you're still just in a newer repmobile (no offence meant to Mondeos, solid cars, just hardly dream machines).

It was generally the exact same colour and basic trim but it had a new plate!

SEPT 23 1989

Whatever happened Gerard Kean?

CrankyHaus

Larbre34 wrote: »

Wow, sounds like the last days if the Roman Empire.

When they start doing coke through a clarinet off the arses of Maxi, Dick and Twink, let me know.

In its own way that sort of excess was as bad though. I knew of a couple out in Coolock who bought new Mondeos every year. Like what's the point? You're down all that money and you're still just in a newer repmobile (no offence meant to Mondeos, solid cars, just hardly dream machines).

Mister Vain

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I live in a county town and I mainly remember some families living beyond there means basically a new Avensis or Passat every year and a holiday and a few breaks during the year. Some of the stuff wouldn't have been flash, flash but simply beyond there means!

People trying to outdo their neighbors with bigger TV's, bigger cars and bigger tits.

Larbre34

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I live in a county town and I mainly remember some families living beyond there means basically a new Avensis or Passat every year and a holiday and a few breaks during the year. Some of the stuff wouldn't have been flash, flash but simply beyond there means!

Wow, sounds like the last days if the Roman Empire.

When they start doing coke through a clarinet off the arses of Maxi, Dick and Twink, let me know.

pyramuid man

JupiterKid wrote: »

At get-togethers and parties, people (including some acquaintances) bragging about their buy to let properties and investments in places like Bulgaria. I was a bit of a Cassandra at the time, explaining to them just why it was a credit-fueled property bubble not supported by economic fundamentals and would ultimately end in a huge crash and in tears. I must have seemed like a bit of a party pooper to some. Some of them listened to me, but most didn’t or didn’t want to.

I did manage to persuade two good friends and a friend’s mother into not buying investment properties in Eastern Europe. During the crash, they thanked me.

In the housing estate I was living in in South Dublin at that same time, many of the neighbours getting new cars and replacing them as often as possible - usually these cars were leased.

Getting a letter from my bank telling me that I was pre-approved for a €75K loan for anything I wanted. It went straight into the bin.

David McWilliams... Is that you?

freshpopcorn

I live in a county town and I mainly remember some families living beyond there means basically a new Avensis or Passat every year and a holiday and a few breaks during the year. Some of the stuff wouldn't have been flash, flash but simply beyond there means!

ChikiChiki

Anyone who becomes the subject of a Barry Egan article would want to take a long hard look at what they are actually doing in life.

lisasimpson

Remember hearing on the radio back then about parents making deals with their daughter over their Leaving cert result. If she bought her grades from a C to A they would pay for her implants to go from an A to a C.

Motivator

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

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.

I saw him walking along by Stephens Green one day and he was getting wicked abuse off a group of young lads over the state of his shoes. It was absolutely hilarious watching the big scaldy head on him squirming as he tried to quicken up and get away from them.