Not a word today about trees, rivers, animals, birds, fish and the changing seasons. Just about money, and in particular, money in what a German writer describes as "the Singapore on the western edge of Europe". That's Dublin. Singapore on the Liffey if you like. Reiner Luyken looks at Dublin and sees, through the dust, huge cranes, bulldozers and other mechanical monsters. He tells us that the new Financial Centre north of the Liffey already contains 600 firms and mentions shouting, gesticulating, dealers phoning, making odd hand signals, mark against sterling, mark against yen, and asks Quo vadis Eire?
How far from those famous words of de Valera, not all that long ago, "That Ireland which we dreamed of would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as the basis of right living, of a people who were satisfied with frugal comfort and devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit . . ." In de Valera's time, the writer has it, Dublin was a big, somewhat morbid village with the best porter beer in the world, and pubs which were darker even than the beer.
Redcheeked boozers in black suits stood around exercising their Godgiven right to find happiness in Guinness and endless conversation. At the same time, the city was the home of quite a few of the most wonderful literary figures of the English speaking world. The Government, says the author, extols the country as an "economic Tiger", and indeed he attributes the description as Singapore of the western edge of Europe to it.
"The superlatives of the self portrayal know no bounds." He goes on to say that de Valera's dream has turned into a Thatcherite paradise. Even the many pubs in the city centre have more in common with the drink culture of the more refined parts of London. What, he asks has become of Irish independence. And of the individuality which leads them to sing, when pubs and discotheques close. Men and women, young and old erect and still, "Soldiers are we..."
"You'll find it in the West", he seems to have been told. He went. It wasn't too bad at all. Indeed the whole piece should, hardly be taken as too critical. Just regretful. It appeared in the magazine section of Die Zeit, which the Goethe Institute describes as the biggest German weekly newspaper. The economic section of the same issue also carries an article on the Celtic Tiger.