For Release: 2008-09-17 09:53:00
Irish economist and author David McWilliams discusses success -- and its perils -- on the next One to One with Bill Goodman, airing Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m./noon CT on KET1 and Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT on KET2. McWilliams has worked with the Central Bank of Ireland, UBS bank and the Banque Nationale de Paris. More recently, he has become a popular broadcaster and documentary filmmaker, and published two books, The Pope's Children and The Generation Game.McWilliams discusses the rapid growth in the Irish economy that has taken place in recent years, a phenomenon known as the Celtic Tiger. He talks about the poverty and isolation that existed in Ireland during his childhood and early adulthood, when the only job he could get with his math degree from Trinity University was as a dishwasher in New York. Then, in less than a decade, the average yearly income in Ireland jumped from $7,000 to $50,000, people began to immigrate to Ireland en masse instead of leaving Ireland to find work, and the country went from isolated to cosmopolitan.
The economist says that he wanted to explain the changes taking place in Ireland with The Pope's Children and In Search of the Pope's Children, a documentary series that aired on RTE, Ireland's national radio and television broadcaster. As his books and programs point out, Ireland's transformation is not without its problems, and McWilliams expresses concerns about the excessive consumption and crushing debt that has accompanied the economic success.
McWilliams also discusses the similarities between Kentucky and Ireland, the importance of investing in education, why the U.S. should embrace its immigrants, and much more.
One to One with Bill Goodman is a KET production, produced by Goodman and Cindy Asher. Following the broadcast, One to One is available for on-demand videostream viewing at www.ket.org/onetoone and podcasting at www.ket.org/rss. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.
Contact: Amanda Stroud
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