For much of the history of the British Isles, Ireland has always been that poor cousin that Great Britain outshone in terms of its economy. Oh my goodness, how times are a changing, my friend!

Today, the economy and general household finances of the Republic of Ireland have definitely seen much worse days. It was almost as though this country had lain dormant for many centuries and that it was waiting for just the right conditions to come along, so that it could quite literally explode into action.

And explode it has! Okay, so Ireland was not completely untouched by the worldwide recession, but it was not jilted as badly as a recession would have in the past. Citizens are still purchasing those big ticket items and Ferienwohnungen Rom would still seem to be a conceivable option.

Nobody quite knows how the economy has managed to grow to the extent that it has and many other European nations are definitely looking at the Emerald Isle with a hint of the green eyed monster in their own eyes.

And jealous they should be, as Ireland has come from being a nation that could be most closely described as second world, some thirty or so years ago, to a truly booming and vibrant land in the twenty-first century. With no end in sight, long may the saying 'Luck of the Irish' hold firm in this beautiful part of the world.