Dear Fellow Hibernophiles,
I am pleased to share with you my thoughts on the latest developments in Ireland, as reported in the more traditional media like the New York Times (hereafter NYT), The Irish Times (hereafter IT), the Financial Times (hereafter FT), and The Economist. I am calling this blog … yes, “The News from Ireland”, in part a nod to my favorite writer of Irish short stories, the late William Trevor (more about him later).
Ireland is covered very well by these newspapers and, in my opinion, in a fair and reasonable manner. I also believe that they are of a high quality in terms of reportage, balance, and objectivity. They are “center” to “right of center” in their political positions, though some may consider the Grey Lady a bit too liberal (small “l”). Overall, I think the news from Ireland reported in these newspapers is trustworthy … though it may not be to your liking if you expect reporting of Ireland to take a particular historical stance.
Regardless of political or cultural orientation, we hope at least that those who write about Ireland follow in the steps of the monk in the poem “The scholar and his cat, Pangur Ban”: that they “get wisdom day and night, and turn darkness into light”, so we may better understand the country and its people.
# 1. The booming Irish economy … but for how long?
With tax revenues at an all-time high, and reports that the Irish government hardly knows how to spend the money, there is some concern that the source of this recent largesse (mainly foreign direct investment) may not last. But its still better than the economic situation that existed in Ireland for much of the twentieth century!