WE ALL PARTIED – but some more than others. Celtic Tiger Ireland was a very different island to the one we live on today.

See if you remember any of these blasts  from the past.

Grrrowl.

Decking

Image: via Precision Maintenance

Patios suddenly just weren’t good enough anymore.

Patio heaters

And what did you put on your new deck?

Image: via Patio Heater Shopper

That’s right, a big patio heater and a massive gas BBQ. Because you’re worth it.

Cranes

Remember looking up and seeing the sky dotted with cranes?

Image: via Archiseek

Not so much anymore. At least we still have our rainbows to gaze up at.

Holidays homes in Bulgaria

It was The Next Big Thing.

Image: via Changing Winds

A week in your Dad’s friend’s holiday home in Dingle didn’t cut the mustard in those days.

Paninis

We have the Celtic Tiger to thank for sundried tomato pesto, fancy coffees and the sudden proliferation of the phrase “to go” instead of “to takeaway”.

A lot of those things have stuck around. But luckily good old toasties are starting to make a comeback over our continental cousin, the panini. (Panino in the singular, doncha know.)

Eddie Hobbs

Image: via BookAdda

And let’s not forget David McWilliams.

Image: via WikimediaCommons

Mad traffic

According to some seasoned drivers, the crazy traffic of the boomtime is a thing of the past.

We still get jams of course (the world isn’t that perfect) but they’re a lot less hectic than they used to be!

Shopping trips to New York

Remember people would hop across the pond for Christmas shopping?

Image: via Tumblr

Toting brands not available in Ireland was the ultimate status symbol.

Your Macy’s bag didn’t just say “I’m a nice bag” it said “I’m a nice bag with an owner who can afford transatlantic flights”.

Ads for tracker mortgages

Still don’t understand APR?

Ah it’s grand, turns out no one really did.

YouTube/onestep24

Limos at the drop of a hat

Communion? LIMO.

Image: KPCD

Hen party? LIMO.

Image: LimoRide

Debs? HUMMER LIMO.

Image: via Limo Lover

Helicopters to the Races

This poor helicopter isn’t a bad metaphor for the Irish economy’s recent trajectory…

Ouch. Not to worry, she’ll fly again after a few repairs, extra safety precautions and some luck!

Ads for housing estates

How times have changed. This ad is from 1990:

Image: via Imgur

And remember the ads for rural housing estates only “40 minutes from Dublin”? 40 minutes? Well, in that helicopter maybe…

And last but not least…

Image: via ocaoimh

There ya are, Bertie!

What do you remember from the Celtic Tiger?

Read: Graphs – here’s how car-crazy Ireland was in 2000>

Boomtime: 9 Celtic Tiger ads you won’t see these days…>