Squire of the Square was never boring

THIS column is a budget-free zone today.

Instead, here’s a tale from the belly of the Celtic Tiger, involving a character of the times.

Last Tuesday the good burghers of Dartmouth Square finally secured the return of their little corner of Paradise. The Square is in the heart of leafy Ranelagh in Dublin — one of the most salubrious addresses in the country. At the latest firesale auction in the Shelbourne Hotel, the residents combined with Dublin City Council to buy the two-acre patch of ground that forms the centrepiece of their neighbourhood. It is a pleasant oasis, where one can go to sport and play of a lazy afternoon, amidst the shrubbery and green lawns.