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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)

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
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Apollinaris

JimmyVik wrote: »

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

How much cocaine was sniffed in the process I can only wonder.

lulublue22

Randy Archer wrote: »

Funny enough, she got burned for her 21st birthday, which was a few months before she died. Media had made a big big deal of it but it turned out that sfa “famous” people bothered to turn up. Rather humiliating . A lot of people sniggered and sneered , even media folk. You know things really hit the fan when John Watters, who knew nothing about her and would have been completely at the opposite end of the spectrum ,felt the need to write about her

That same weekend, two scobbies , brothers I think, from some council estate in Waterford , died of drugs . Little to no coverage of that

As far as I remember they were from Waterford but it happened in a house in Kinsale. I remember being really annoyed at the time - there was so much fuss made of Katy French’s death with calls for whoever gave her the drugs to be prosecuted etc . It was like she had no personal responsibility for her actions yet the two brothers got a brief mention and then nada. It was as if they or their familes grief didn’t matter.

Beechwoodspark

[Deleted User] wrote: »

There a 21st after party at roughly same time in waterford where lads eat damp coke and 2 died (rip)

.....a lad in works brother was at it,and by all.accounts it was like a scene from exercist with lads lurching/jerking out of control,puking blood/out of nose etc.....story was enough to stop.me from ever trying it

Vaguely remember that in the news. Sounded horrific

[Deleted User]

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

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.

Big time. Whatever else died with the tiger, wedding wanker still lives on strong. Attention seeking *****.

Bit cynical

road_high wrote: »

Helicopters! Jesus I hardly ever see one these days apart from the odd army or state ones.
Have private users really died a death? Lived in a rural area during the tiger era and several would pass each day.

Can't buy a helicopter on a 200k NAMA salary unfortunately.

[Deleted User]

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Wasn’t her 21st. She was approx 24 when she died

There a 21st after party at roughly same time in waterford where lads eat damp coke and 2 died (rip)

.....a lad in works brother was at it,and by all.accounts it was like a scene from exercist with lads lurching/jerking out of control,puking blood/out of nose etc.....story was enough to stop.me from ever trying it

[Deleted User]

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Some of that article went a bit above my head tbh, but there was a warmth to John Waters' writing then. He seemed like a very decent sort of an everyman then, his decline is quite sad in my opinion.

He just seems a complete extremist to whatever he’s latched onto at the time. The article is tripe.

Beechwoodspark

Randy Archer wrote: »

Funny enough, she got burned for her 21st birthday, which was a few months before she died. Media had made a big big deal of it but it turned out that sfa “famous” people bothered to turn up. Rather humiliating . A lot of people sniggered and sneered , even media folk. You know things really hit the fan when John Watters, who knew nothing about her and would have been completely at the opposite end of the spectrum ,felt the need to write about her

That same weekend, two scobbies , brothers I think, from some council estate in Waterford , died of drugs . Little to no coverage of that

Wasn’t her 21st. She was approx 24 when she died

Beechwoodspark

Local guy “posed”as a developer before the crash ie when I say posed I mean he got hugely into debt with AIB through buying vastly overpriced land parcels.

Great man to rock a flashy suit, diamond cuff links, diamond sparkler ear stud, them brown tan shoes with the suit all that. Manicured facial hair. Always smoking Johnny blues.

His income stream was influenced by his cousin in the local AIB, regularly seen drinking til all hours in the local pubs and clubs. Donated to FF and was best buddies with local councilors.

The bust happened and he firstly laid low telling anyone who would listen it’s a temporary blip, just wait and see...then went to Russia to try and recover his career; then Poland. All very mysterious, don’t know what he was up to there.

He arrived back to town (mid Leinster) and promptly had a breakdown, spent time in various mental hospitals and for the past 6 years or so working as a doorman for various bars and chippers in the town. Was done for dealing last year.

PhilOssophy

road_high wrote: »

Me too. Jesus imagine if they had something like that now. Must have been a great time if you were doing well

They were capped though, so it wasn't unlimited. I think it was capped around 25k but can't remember.

madmaggie

A local developer had two helicopters. One for his own use, one for ferrying his managers around. One manager told me, we don't drive, we take the chopper.

road_high

McGaggs wrote: »

I forgot about the SSIAs. I didn't have one because I was a poor student when they started.

Me too. Jesus imagine if they had something like that now. Must have been a great time if you were doing well

PhilOssophy

ChikiChiki wrote: »

I've been at a few foreign weddings of Irish people, with smaller gatherings and less formal. Way better craic in my opinion. And obviously a fraction of the cost and stress.

I absolutely HATE foreign weddings, they cost a bomb and the worst wedding I was ever at was a wedding where we sat on a bus for 5 hrs from the airport, stayed in a tiny crappy town, were on the same bus for another 3 hours the next day (between hotel, church and reception, then back at the end of the night, 1 hr each), and then back to the airport the following day (I pitied the unfortunates who had chosen to stay around for that day, luckily we got out).
It was 2 Irish people who wanted no distractions from everybody indulging the 2 of them for a weekend. I am not alone in saying it was the worst wedding we were ever at.
If I am going abroad to a wedding, I want at least 1 of them to be from even the country I am being dragged to! Anything else is just showy pretentious sh1te which only the really idiotic can't see through.
Best wedding I was ever at was a tiny wedding in England, a chapel to hold about 30-40 people and then the reception was in a local pub which they had hired for the day. The craic was absolutely mighty.

gordongekko

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

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

Sure come the end of the celtic tiger youd buy a house and theyd throw in a car for free. It could only end in tears

ChikiChiki

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

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.

Irish weddings are a load of **** until about 11pm when the formalities go out the window due to the copious amount of drink consumed up to that point.

Absolutely hate the standing around and small talk in church car parks and stately boutique hotels that lasts for about 8 hours. The money spent on these things is eye watering for one day.

I've been at a few foreign weddings of Irish people, with smaller gatherings and less formal. Way better craic in my opinion. And obviously a fraction of the cost and stress.

Kevhog1988

John_Rambo wrote: »

He's been succeeding in failure for a long time now, he wrote a Eurovision song that came last, he was an unsuccessful Independent candidate, he refused to use email when it came out (what a pro), he supported the invasion of Iraq in the belief that there were weapons of mass destruction, opposed gay marriage, claimed there's no such thing as depression, blamed catholic clerical child abuse on gay people and was imprisoned because he didn't pay a parking fine because he felt he'd returned to his car only shortly after the grace period.

And people still employ him.

Hes a complete penisaurus

Claw Hammer

The other ting about the celtic tiger was the amount of money kids had. 6 and 7 years-olds going into sweet shows with €20 notes. Teenagers with expensive clothes. that hadn't come bck i tye pre-covid era. The cars are also illustrative.
In the 1980s many families had no car at all. Some had one car. If there was a second car it was almost invariably a mini, fiesta or Renault 5 or some such.
In the tiger era a family was considered poor if there was only one car. The second car became a people carrier or a 4x4. School gates and the surrounding roads were clogged with vehicles driven by incompetent drivers which were far to big for the job.

Vita nova

I remember the controversy about the German Ambassador's speech to a group of visiting German industrialists in 2007 in which he said Ireland was a "coarse place" where hospital waiting lists were chaotic and everyone drove '06 and '07 cars.

From the Irish Times:
During his address, the ambassador referred to Ireland's wealth, saying Ministers of State earn more that the German chancellor, and 20 per cent of the population were public servants.

In a reference to negotiations over hospital consultant contracts, he said doctors who were offered salaries of €200,000 a year had described the salary as "Mickey Mouse money". Mr Mitchell said last night they were the only words the ambassador said in English and that the audience laughed at the comments.

Mr Mitchell said Mr Pauls also criticised the Government's immigration policy, saying Ireland learned nothing from Germany's experiences. He told a story about attending the National Concert Hall when an announcement was made for the owner of a 93D-registered car to move it. He said no one moved as all Irish cars are '06 and '07.

He said that US visitors had stopped coming to Ireland because of the heavy traffic and that Ireland has a bleak time in the past due to the Famine and had a history "sadder than Poland". Mr Pauls said a house had sold in Clontarf for over €20 million and one could buy a skyscraper for that in Frankfurt.

While there was a lot to criticise in his speech and it wasn't what you'd expect from a diplomat, I do remember him or one of his reps getting a huge amount of support on a Marian Finucane radio show where many listeners rang in to say that he was dead right about certain parts of his speech.

John_Rambo

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Seems like a good time for this:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/dreams-die-with-death-of-katy-1.990174

John Waters' Obituary for Katy French. That's right. Before you knew him as the figurehead of Ireland's nascent nutty Alt-Right he was the designated arselicker of Fianna Fail's Celtic Tiger Ireland. A better symbol of how drastically the country has changed would be hard to find

He's been succeeding in failure for a long time now, he wrote a Eurovision song that came last, he was an unsuccessful Independent candidate, he refused to use email when it came out (what a pro), he supported the invasion of Iraq in the belief that there were weapons of mass destruction, opposed gay marriage, claimed there's no such thing as depression, blamed catholic clerical child abuse on gay people and was imprisoned because he didn't pay a parking fine because he felt he'd returned to his car only shortly after the grace period.

And people still employ him.

facehugger99

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Some of that article went a bit above my head tbh, but there was a warmth to John Waters' writing then. He seemed like a very decent sort of an everyman then, his decline is quite sad in my opinion.

Yeah, it's the same kind of warmth as when you piss yourself.

Wildly Boaring

2000 to 2004 I was in college, worked for farmers and farm relief over the summers.

One of the summers I did 6 or 8 weeks on a farm and yard belonging to one of our foremost property developers.
He and his brother have since settled a mahoosive tax bill with revenue
Their company was through NAMA and they're now nearly allowed be directors again.

Some of the fun and games in that 6 weeks......

Repainted the helepad on the ground.

Spent 3 days (with the full time gardener and £1000 worth of timber) constructing a half pipe for his son to never use.

Spent 2 days with 2 tractors and a 5t digger destroying a paddock to create mounds and hollows for scramblers. Got about 20 minutes use

Spent 5 days powerwashing a floor of a shed for prize black limousine bulls to be housed.
I mean cleaning a ****ty shed back to concrete as if it were new.
Only for 15 bulls to **** all over it the next morning.

And the most ludicrous thing I saw.
A 17 year old neighbour got his licence. This guy bought a Mitsubishi Colt and insured the young lad in it.
Car was then to be used to ferry developer's kids whereever they wanted to go all on days off.

Sultan of Bling

sheepondrugs wrote:

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

He always had that office as a second premises.

When he left the Pembroke street office he moved to trinity street.

Not the actions of someone struggling financially.

CrankyHaus

Randy Archer wrote: »

Funny enough, she got burned for her 21st birthday, which was a few months before she died. Media had made a big big deal of it but it turned out that sfa “famous” people bothered to turn up. Rather humiliating . A lot of people sniggered and sneered , even media folk. You know things really hit the fan when John Watters, who knew nothing about her and would have been completely at the opposite end of the spectrum ,felt the need to write about her

That same weekend, two scobbies , brothers I think, from some council estate in Waterford , died of drugs . Little to no coverage of that

Yeah I remember that double standard. It was lads eating soggy cocaine from the West Cork washed up haul wasn't it?
Whatever about media fawning over her, the official representative of the Taoiseach attending the funeral was a disgrace.

Randy Archer

retalivity wrote: »

Much more famous than them, according to every rag at the time.

Funny enough, she got burned for her 21st birthday, which was a few months before she died. Media had made a big big deal of it but it turned out that sfa “famous” people bothered to turn up. Rather humiliating . A lot of people sniggered and sneered , even media folk. You know things really hit the fan when John Watters, who knew nothing about her and would have been completely at the opposite end of the spectrum ,felt the need to write about her

That same weekend, two scobbies , brothers I think, from some council estate in Waterford , died of drugs . Little to no coverage of that

elefant

'She did not, other than literally, die' is some phrase!

[Deleted User]

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Seems like a good time for this:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/dreams-die-with-death-of-katy-1.990174

John Waters' Obituary for Katy French. That's right. Before you knew him as the figurehead of Ireland's nascent nutty Alt-Right he was the designated arselicker of Fianna Fail's Celtic Tiger Ireland. A better symbol of how drastically the country has changed would be hard to find.

Some highlights:

"She was a child. She was my daughter and Eoghan's daughter and Eamon's daughter and Pat's daughter and Bertie's daughter. She was your daughter, your little sister. She was a child of Ireland in the time of its rebirth.

I am crying, writing this. How can you cry for someone you've only once said hello to? Katy was the daughter of our dreams, in the sense that it was the dreams of her people that gave birth to what is tritely called her celebrity."

"Driven by angelic recall, they plod on clay feet into the mire of three-dimensional reality. They do not know, are not conscious, that their appetites are infinitely greater than the world's capacity to satisfy them."

"She did not, other than literally, die of whatever it will say on her death certificate. She died of desire, of being utterly human.

What can I say? The dream is over."

Which seques somewhat incongruously into:

"As Pope Benedict reminds us in his new encyclical, we have no idea what we would really like. "We do not know this reality at all; even in those moments when we think we can reach out and touch it, it eludes us." All we know is that it is not what we have."

Some of that article went a bit above my head tbh, but there was a warmth to John Waters' writing then. He seemed like a very decent sort of an everyman then, his decline is quite sad in my opinion.

retalivity

CrankyHaus wrote: »

"She did not, other than literally, die of whatever it will say on her death certificate. She died of desire, of being utterly human.

Yes, desire for cocaine. Nothing utterly human about that.

HBC08

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Seems like a good time for this:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/dreams-die-with-death-of-katy-1.990174

John Waters' Obituary for Katy French. That's right. Before you knew him as the figurehead of Ireland's nascent nutty Alt-Right he was the designated arselicker of Fianna Fail's Celtic Tiger Ireland. A better symbol of how drastically the country has changed would be hard to find.

Some highlights:

"She was a child. She was my daughter and Eoghan's daughter and Eamon's daughter and Pat's daughter and Bertie's daughter. She was your daughter, your little sister. She was a child of Ireland in the time of its rebirth.

I am crying, writing this. How can you cry for someone you've only once said hello to? Katy was the daughter of our dreams, in the sense that it was the dreams of her people that gave birth to what is tritely called her celebrity."

"Driven by angelic recall, they plod on clay feet into the mire of three-dimensional reality. They do not know, are not conscious, that their appetites are infinitely greater than the world's capacity to satisfy them."

"She did not, other than literally, die of whatever it will say on her death certificate. She died of desire, of being utterly human.

What can I say? The dream is over."

Which seques somewhat incongruously into:

"As Pope Benedict reminds us in his new encyclical, we have no idea what we would really like. "We do not know this reality at all; even in those moments when we think we can reach out and touch it, it eludes us." All we know is that it is not what we have."

Jesus wept.

Next time hes out spouting his current sh1te somebody should take the megaphone off him and bellow this article word for word at him.

CrankyHaus

Seems like a good time for this:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/dreams-die-with-death-of-katy-1.990174

John Waters' Obituary for Katy French. That's right. Before you knew him as the figurehead of Ireland's nascent nutty Alt-Right he was the designated arselicker of Fianna Fail's Celtic Tiger Ireland. A better symbol of how drastically the country has changed would be hard to find.

Some highlights:

"She was a child. She was my daughter and Eoghan's daughter and Eamon's daughter and Pat's daughter and Bertie's daughter. She was your daughter, your little sister. She was a child of Ireland in the time of its rebirth.

I am crying, writing this. How can you cry for someone you've only once said hello to? Katy was the daughter of our dreams, in the sense that it was the dreams of her people that gave birth to what is tritely called her celebrity."

"Driven by angelic recall, they plod on clay feet into the mire of three-dimensional reality. They do not know, are not conscious, that their appetites are infinitely greater than the world's capacity to satisfy them."

"She did not, other than literally, die of whatever it will say on her death certificate. She died of desire, of being utterly human.

What can I say? The dream is over."

Which seques somewhat incongruously into:

"As Pope Benedict reminds us in his new encyclical, we have no idea what we would really like. "We do not know this reality at all; even in those moments when we think we can reach out and touch it, it eludes us." All we know is that it is not what we have."

retalivity

facehugger99 wrote: »

Joan of Arc?

Napoleon?

Sophie Toscan du Plantier?

Much more famous than them, according to every rag at the time.