Busting the Boom: The Tiger's Tail (2006) The Pope's Children (1).(Critical essay)

Both of these texts attempt to examine the current economic and social landscape of Ireland and present a range of constructed characters to dramatise how the country has been radically transformed from being fixated with the past and memories of poverty and emigration. By foregrounding the newfound wealth and opulence of the capital, both seek to uncover what drives the so-called 'Celtic Tiger', while incorporating various fault-lines, such as the prospect of a property crash or a personal crisis which is initiated by the past coming back to haunt a successful property developer. But while David McWilliams' TV study celebrates the new brashness within the culture, John Boorman's film remains more sombre and pessimistic from the outset.

McWilliams' effectively captures the conspicuous consumption of a new middle class. This newly found self-confidence is encapsulated by the wild generalisations cited at the start of his best selling book:

   Ireland has arrived. We are richer than any of
   us imagined possible ten years ago. No Irish
   person has to emigrate, none of us need pay
   for education and even our universities are
   free. Unemployment is the lowest in our
   history. We have more choice than ever, the
   place is more tolerant and no one can be
   legally discriminated against. We have more
   cash in our back pockets than almost anyone
   in Europe. We are better off than 99% of
   humanity. We are top of foreigners' lists as
   places to live. Unlike many of our rich
   neighbours, in survey after survey we claim to
   be very happy. (2)

At the same time, while evoking much irony and sarcasm, the well-known Irish economist also captures this new cosmopolitan middle class on television. We meet 'DIY Declan', 'Low GI Jane', 'Breakfast Roll Man', 'Yummy Mummy' and the 'HiCo's'--the latter being the elite city dwellers far removed from the inhabitants of the growing suburbs, which is characterised by the 'Decklanders'. Mapping the capital's radically changing landscape from the air, McWilliams underscores his thesis with headline grabbing copy, such as 'Irish families are getting smaller but our kitchens are getting bigger', coupled with an assertion that we are witnessing 'the greatest makeover Ireland has ever seen' (3). Such tabloid copy is brash …