Celtic Tiger: Ireland's 'ghost estates'
The Celtic Tiger - the nickname given to Ireland's economic boom - crashed in 2008 and led to thousands of abandoned 'ghost estates'.
In 2006, Michele Burke and her fianc茅 William were looking forward to moving into their dream home in the picturesque town of Killaloe, in Ireland.
But when Ireland's economic boom - known as the Celtic Tiger - ended and the global financial crisis of 2008 hit, construction on Michele and William's new house abruptly stopped.
The couple were stuck paying a mortgage on a home they couldn't move into. They were not the only ones struggling. During the recession, there were more than 1,000 abandoned 'ghost estates' in Ireland.
Michele tells Vicky Farncombe about her eight-year fight to move into her house.
(Photo: Michele Burke outside her abandoned home in Killaloe in 2013. Credit: 大象传媒)
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Thu 24 Aug 2023 07:50GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Thu 24 Aug 2023 11:50GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Thu 24 Aug 2023 17:50GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 24 Aug 2023 21:50GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 25 Aug 2023 02:50GMT大象传媒 World Service
Featured in...
Irish history—Witness History
How Irish society and culture has changed through the decades
Cost of living—Witness History
Listen to and download our programmes
Podcast
-
Witness History
History as told by the people who were there