One to One with Bill Goodman:
David McWilliams
premiered September 28, 2008
Economist and author David McWilliams discusses Ireland’s recent economic success—and its perils—on this edition of One to One with Bill Goodman.
In recent years, McWilliams has worked with the Central Bank of Ireland, UBS bank, and the Banque Nationale de Paris. He also has become a popular broadcaster and documentary filmmaker and published two books, The Pope’s Children and The Generation Game. But he grew up in an Ireland of poverty and isolation. When he first graduated from Trinity University with a math degree, he recalls, the only job he could find was as a dishwasher—in New York City.
But then, in less than a decade, a sweeping set of economic and educational reform measures by both the government and the business community began to turn things around. The average yearly income in Ireland jumped from $7,000 to $50,000. Instead of an exodus of its own young people, Ireland began to experience an influx of immigrants seeking jobs. And a once isolated country became cosmopolitan.
The transformation has earned Ireland the nickname “the Celtic Tiger” from international observers. McWilliams set out to document the changes taking place in The Pope’s Children and a companion television documentary, In Search of the Pope’s Children, which aired on RTE, Ireland’s national radio and television broadcast outlet. In his One to One interview, he explains that the transformation is not without its potential problems for individuals, including excessive consumption and crushing debt.
McWilliams also discusses the similarities between Kentucky and Ireland, the importance of investing in education, and why he believes the U.S. should embrace its immigrants.
Related Resource:
- McWilliams was among the speakers who addressed a group of business and civic leaders from Louisville who visited Ireland in 2007 to learn about its economic turnaround firsthand. Video presentations from the trip, sponsored by Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), are archived on our GLIDE Dublin page.
