The Celtic Tiger is an economic phenomenon, which emerged in the early 1990s and ended around 2002. We speak of it in relation to time, as in Celtic Tiger years, and also use this term to refer to Ireland.
Ireland was the poorest nation of the Western world two decades ago, but today it is among the wealthiest. Real estate property construction is at a record high, the economy is growing at twice the average for the European Union, and economists predict these tendencies will continue in the next 15 or so years. The term Celtic Tiger is analogical to East Asian Tigers, a nickname applied to the economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and other countries in Eastern Asia during the period of their skyrocketing growth in the 80s and 90s of the last century. Sometimes Celtic Tiger is used to refer to renewed or continued Irish economic development and growth, which took place after 2002.
This economic Renaissance, so to speak, did not affect all levels and aspects of Irish society. It tells only part of the story. The house price boom, inadequate infrastructure and persistent poverty levels all pose problems for the country. Official statistics show that approximately one-fifth of the Irish population is on the verge of poverty. The gap between rich and poor has not changed in any way for over a decade, and no efforts have been made to overcome it. In some cases it has become even wider. It may be true that the income level has increased since the Celtic Tiger, but that is not the case with social welfare income.
Another major problem relates to heath care. Ireland’s health care system is in dire need of rehabilitation. The biggest budget expense of the country is health, accounting for 25% of public spending. It is also the main cause of public discontent. Dublin newspapers often report that patients lie on hospital trolleys in corridors for days because of the shortage of beds, long waiting lists and cumbersome bureaucracy. The government made an effort to address these problems by establishing the Health Service Executive and boosting budget expenditure. Fiscal policies like low corporate taxes have contributed to the economic boom, but social investment lags behind. The policies in this field are more or less developing in the right direction, but regarding implementation there is much to be desired.
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