[Offers] very valuable insights into Irish culture and some very interesting reflections from interviews with key politicians, academics, and observers. . . . There is an impressive scope to the book, ranging as it does from economic crisis and fiscal policy to sexuality, religion and alcohol, and on to Northern Ireland, international relations and Irish military policy.
Irish Studies ... Read moreReview
Kay (NATO and the Future of European Security) deftly synthesizes economics, history, sociology, and his own extensive interviews with artists (Sinead O'Connor), former heads of state, and the average person on the street (or in the pub) in order to understand the causes and effects of Ireland's recent religious, political, and economic meltdown. He addresses issues such as Ireland losing revenue from artists like U2 operating their businesses abroad in order to escape paying taxes in Ireland. According to Kay, Ireland needs every penny of that money if it is to get back on the road to recovery. He debunks the idea that Ireland's woes were caused by problems in the U.S. economy, arguing that Ireland's problems are the result of bad policy, weak regulation, and unethical behavior by bankers and politicians. The evidence presented in this in-depth and fascinating book is deeply disturbing. Still, Kay maintains, the Irish will bounce back as long as they remember the lessons they've learned since the Celtic Tiger died its long, painful death.
Publishers Weekly
One of the notable aspects of this most compelling book is the author's conversations with so many of the people in Ireland today who share with him their views on topics as diverse as politics, the plight of the working man, the demise of the Catholic Church, and the on-going struggles in Northern Ireland. . . . [Kay] concludes his book on a positive, optimistic note by pointing out that Ireland must go global in order to regain its foothold on the world stage. It must at the same time develop a 'smart' economy by making full use of its human resources and high-tech innovation. . . . A top shelf read.
Irish American News
Sean Kay has done Ireland a service. This eloquent and timely narrative should be obligatory reading for those that bankrupted and betrayed my generation. This book is also about hope. The foundations for the renewal of the Irish Republic have now been written. Thank you.
Elaine Byrne, Trinity College Dublin 'The Great Country Known as Ireland' was brought low by incompetent bankers, greedy property developers, and short-sighted politicians. Sean Kay is quite persuasive that Ireland will be back. But he also illustrates in many ways that the human cost of this financial disaster is beyond measure. Other peoples should and must learn the hard lessons imposed upon Ireland by its political elite. Read this book and avoid the fate of the Irish—before you too follow in their footsteps.
Simon Johnson, MIT Sloan School of Management, former economic counsellor and director of the research department of the IMF A book filled, by turns, with illuminating stories and dispassionate analysis, with a sure grasp of Ireland's rapid growth and, now, its economic morass and clouded future. Celtic Revival? is both perceptive and wonderfully readable.
Charles Lipson, University of Chicago Show Less