Author hails impact of Celtic Tiger

The Celtic Tiger economy is the best thing that has ever happened to Ireland, leading author and broadcaster Frank Delaney claimed today.

Delaney, who left Ireland 25 years ago and now lives in New York, said the country’s affluent society was a huge contrast to the “grinding poverty” he saw as a child.

“When I was growing up in a small parish in Tipperary in the 1940s, there were people who lived on nothing.

“It was grinding poverty. Anything that changes those times is good as far as I’m concerned.”

Former RTE newsreader Delaney thinks he may return to Ireland some day for the tax breaks.

The 61-year-old said: “I might come back. The tax situation is interesting, especially for writers.

“But sometimes a writer needs to live outside his own country to be objective.

“Writing is an international business for me now and living in a hub like New York is important.

“But I still have a huge interest in Ireland. I have the RTE website on my computer and it’s one of the first things I click on every day.”

Delaney, famous for his BBC series The Celts, says he is getting the “best response” to his new book from Irish readers.

Ireland: A Novel tells the tale of an itinerant storyteller who encourages a young Irish boy to learn about his country’s history, including landmark events like the Famine and the 1916 Rising.

Released last Thursday, it has already jumped to Number 3 in the Irish Bestsellers list.

Delaney said: “People are paying good money for it and it’s up to me to give them the respect of that money.”

But the broadcaster criticised some book reviewers in Ireland as “axe-grinders” who may harbour bitter feelings towards him.

He said: “Usually when a review appears in Ireland, I hear the sound of an axe grinding in the background.

“It’s often somebody whose book I wasn’t able to help when I was doing The Book Show and they remember it.”

Prolific Delaney has been working on the current book – his 16th – for the past 14 years.

But he says he has several more books in his head which he wants to get written.

He revealed: “I’m more ambitious than ever in my life. Writers work harder as they get older.

“I’m trying to achieve quality in my work. All the competition is with myself. I won’t let myself off the hook at all.”

Ireland A Novel by Frank Delaney is published by Time Warner Books.