Celtic Tiger Hangover Pounds Dublin Bars

Fancy cars, wines, homes selling at deep discount

(NEWSER) - In the midst of its worst recession in modern history, Ireland has become a bargain hunter’s paradise, with high-end cars, homes, and wines selling for a song. “It’s a bit like old vultures over the carcass,” one shopper tells Bloomberg . “You’ll see all sorts of places coming down. The recession seems to be biting.” More»

(NEWSER) - The collapse of the Celtic Tiger is prompting another mass exodus from Ireland's rural west, the Wall Street Journal reports, with young workers once again abandoning their hometowns for London or the US. After a rare decade in which emigrants were flooding back to the island, as many as 40,000 people a year are expected to look for work elsewhere the next few years. The exodus is so large that some towns have found they can't even field a 15-man team for the traditional Irish sport called Gaelic football, a mixture of soccer and rugby. More»

Preserved heart had been on display for 800 years

(NEWSER) - A thief has ripped the heart of Dublin's patron saint out of one of the city's cathedrals. The preserved heart of St. Laurence O'Toole, which had been on display in Christ Church Cathedral for 800 years, was stolen over the weekend, reports AP . The relic was kept in a heart-shaped wooden box in a chapel dedicated to the saint, and the thief had to break into an iron cage to make off with it. Police believe the thief hid overnight in the cathedral, and fled with the heart when it opened its doors the following morning. More»

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

If you look like you snooze, you lose in Dublin

(NEWSER) - Irish welfare officials aren't asleep at the switch—and they've got a wake-up call for their clients. Dubliners have been a bit too chill when they turn up to collect their welfare checks, so the agency is banning pajamas in the office. "Pajamas are not regarded as appropriate attire when attending Community Welfare Service at these offices," says a new standards-setting sign posted at the agency, reports the BBC . The increasing use of pajamas as daywear is alarming officials throughout Ireland, who have begun to ban PJs at Irish schools and shops. Even the US is going to the mattresses over the issue—a Louisiana legislator is proposing making wearing jammies in a public a crime. But Slate doesn't get the hate. More»