(....way beyond our means.)
There was a great discussion on Twitter over the weekend, where people were reminiscing about the mad behaviour of The Celtic Tiger Days. By the time I was finished college, the Celtic Tiger had stopped roaring and times were pretty bleak. It's hard to imagine that people were so flush with money that they were buying property and cars and generally spending money like it was going out of fashion. Have a look at what some of the listeners of The Early Breakfast got up to back in the good aul days:
What’s your most outrageous Celtic Tiger story?
When I was 11, my uncle gave me €50 for minding my cousin when he went to the bathroom.
— always starving xx (@karlakartistry) November 16, 2019
- “Paula, I bought a car. I couldn’t drive!”
- “My brother went on a family holiday and while away he had 2 new jeeps delivered to his house for when he arrived home.” - Stephen
- “Hey Paula. I shall remain nameless but I dropped an obscene amount on champagne in a well-known club in the west in my younger, stupid mortgage-free days!”
- “I drove myself to a party, had a few drinks so obviously couldn’t drive home… so I gave my car to a friend for driving me home in the morning.”
- “My wife left a bag in Dunnes Stores, Merchants Quay in Cork with jewellery worth 26K - and it and it was returned!”
- “I'll remain nameless please. After a night out headed straight to Cork Airport got the 7am flight to London and stayed there for 2 nights just partying. It was myself and my pal and our maxed-out credit cards. We were 21 and working in a cash and carry. Yes we got paid very little, but Mr. Visa made us look like millionaires. Happy days but Jesus wept, a 21-year-old that makes €400 a week does not qualify for a credit card with a €5k limit. What were we thinking?! All paid off years and years ago and now more frugal, but much happier!”
- “Remember there were some people who went to New York to do their Christmas shopping, seriously no wonder we got into as much bother as we did!”
- “Hi Paula. I bought 3 castles in Dalkey, an Alpaca Farm and the rights to all the Beatle songs! Only messing. Bought a house in Cavan in 2005 and don’t regret a bit of it!” - Shane in Clones
- “Morning Paula back in 2005 I went to live in Australia I was 20 at the time I got a good job earning 3500 most weeks. I spent 2 years there and I came home with less than I went over there with and arrived back in Ireland in 2008 right on time for the crash.”
- “Hi Paula my car broke down, got it towed back to main dealer garage and it would cost roughly €300 to fix. Instead I just decided to buy a new car!”
- “Was in Portugal and decided to stay extra day so I booked a private jet instead in 2004”
- “Paula I was in college and assumed I’d get a high-paying job when i graduated in 2008. HA! I’d have settled for any job!”
- “Paula I went to look at an apartment complex that was being sold from the plans - I wrote a cheque to put a deposit on an apartment (then I had to go home and tell my fiancée and also scramble to make sure the cheque didn’t bounce)! All worked out in the end #Skinofmyteeth!”
- “I was given 100 euro to play 3 extra songs at a 40th I was DJing at”
- “Paula had a €500 note in my wallet from 2003 to 2009… had to use it to tax my lorry. I knew Celtic Tiger was over”
- “Hey Paula, I was working in Waterford Airport. Close to Christmas, a guy gave me a 50 quid tip for fixing his airplane in a rush as he wanted to fly to France to buy some crates of wine before Christmas
- “Hi Paula. Put in a ginormous jacuzzi bath back in 2005. Haven't sat in it twice since! Notions!”
