The Birds Still Sing

Time was when people around the world heard the word Ireland and thought "bombs". Those fiery days ended with the successful peace process in Northern Ireland.

Then came the Celtic Tiger. Folks coupled Ireland with terms like "prosperity" and "boom". Spanish property agents rubbed their hands with glee when Irish couples walked through the door.

Now come the days of the "IMF" and "bailouts" and "junk bond status". And people want to know how life has changed. What's it like to live in Ireland now?

And the answer is mundane. Life goes on.

You wake up in the morning and the birds still sing and the kids have to be fed and dressed and shoved out the door to school. Coffee smells as fragrant as ever, the city streets still bustle with shoppers. City cafe's are busy, you've got to watch the traffic and work must still get done if you're part of the 85% of the populace with a job.

What has changed is the attitude toward money. Value is everything! Those busy restaurants have had to lower their prices. Not many shoppers turn up their nose at store brands. The shopping bags are in evidence, but they're filled with more practical items - socks and sweaters and sale items - and there are no more block long lines to purchase €5,000 handbags. Homeowners have rediscovered their gardens.

Yes, there are plenty of people struggling to meet mortgage payments and rising fuel prices. Yes, the kids are graduating and heading abroad in their tens of thousands. But, no, there aren't any breadlines. No one is starving.

The attitude is this: "Let's just get on with it." 

And at Number 31 nothing has changed except that every guest is valued more than ever. If anything the welcomes are warmer. Céad Mile Fáilte - a Hundred Thousand Welcomes - is not just a slogan. It's both the bread and the butter.  And never for a moment dare we forget: 'Value is everything!'

The result is that our little corner of the Emerald Isle is thriving. And listen... the birds are still singing.