Seems like I'm referencing the NYTimes a lot recently but.. Pretty surprised to find my old neighbourhood featuring in their travel section. Smithfield was a real handy place to live for a while - by Dublin standards the apartment was great, nice supermarket downstairs, a tram stop and a ten minute walk to the city centre. Add to that a 10 minute walk to work and it was pretty sweet. However, the whole place was supposed to become a big cultural centre and tourist draw, but it just never materialised. Apart from those living in the apartments heading off to work the whole area always felt very empty. Lots of scangers at night time, the strange sight of the Traveller's monthly horse market, far too many empty shop and office units on street level; I knew the place was going nowhere after a dodgy Paddy Power opened. Still, the NYTimes seems more optimistic about the area, despite the recession.. link

Another New York Times article (this time by Paul feckin Krugman of all people!) detailing the miserable state of the Irish economy. Straight from the beginning it's bleak: “What,” asked my interlocutor, “is the worst-case outlook for the world economy?” It wasn’t until the next day that I came up with the right answer: America could turn Irish. Ouch. Cue all the replies in Irish newspapers complaining about the unfair picture foreign governments and journalists are giving about Ireland.. via NY Times

Even the New York Times has noticed the burst bubble of the Irish economy, and in their lengthy article they've even noticed the whole pajama thing.. "..Social workers in Moyross refer to the “pajama index”: the more men and women one sees who do not take the time and care to dress for the day, the worse the economic situation tends to be." Alas, the pajama thing was never just confined to Moyross. link