Celtic Tiger by-passed the homeless

THE Celtic Tiger’s roar was heard around the world. Ireland was suddenly affluent, a place for chocolate-dusted, frothy cappuccinos and sleek mobile phones.

Wages raced skywards as companies fought to retain staff. The boom magnetised the country, attracting the workers who years before had fled the endless dole queues, EU intervention beef and butter vouchers.

Our economic vital statistics were certainly the pin-up figures of every finance minister in the world, but in our rush to fumble in the greasy till we trampled on the most vulnerable members of our society. Compare Ireland in 1995 to Ireland in 2002.