Recovery can’t just be centred on Dublin alone

Policymakers will have to think carefully if any form of recovery is to be shared across the economy.

Dublin, according to a visitor from the US last week, is rocking. His conclusion was based on observations including the relative (compared to 2009) absence of ‘For Sale’ signs over commercial properties in the centre of the city, the nascent recovery in residential property prices, and the presence of a large number of young and employed people.

The latter should be fact as Ireland continues to have one of the lowest average ages in Europe. But it seems the influx of global multinationals is helping, too. A perusal around the area between Barrow St and the Liffey on a balmy evening suggests a buoyant environment where the likes of Google, Facebook, and Linkedin compete for energetic employees from across Europe.