Daft Property - Irish Property News

We are a nation of brooding pessimists, research finds... MAYBE IT’S our gloomy weather, 800 years of colonial oppression, or just listening to George Lee for too long. Whichever, it is official: we’re a nation of brooding pessimists. New international research shows Irish people have the darkest outlook on the economy and believe the current crisis will last longer here than anywhere else. That’s according to a poll of 19 countries on economic confidence. The Irish survey of almost 1,000 adults was undertaken by Behaviour Attitudes last month. A majority of Irish adults believe the situation is the worst it has ever been in their lifetime, while about half believe things will get worse in six months. When asked about the inevitable upturn, it seems the Irish habit of finding a dark cloud in every silver lining continues : most feel it will last well beyond two years. In contrast, people in the US are positively upbeat, with a majority expecting their personal circumstances will improv...

Dublin's early Xmas lights failing to dispel high street gloom... Christmas is coming early to Dublin this year as city officials try to dispel the gloom from the country's first recession in two decades. Mayor Eibhlin Byrne will switch on the Irish capital's festive lights display on Nov. 9, before cities such as London, New York and Edinburgh, after bringing the ceremony forward by three weeks from last year. ''For retailers, it's not an easy time,'' said Byrne. ''We are harking back to John F. Kennedy and we are asking not what your city can do for you but what you can do for your city.'' Irish shoppers powered the fastest-growing economy in Western Europe over the last five years. Now, consumers are cutting spending as unemployment rises and property prices slump. Gerry Harvey, chairman of Sydney-based electronics and furniture retailer Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd., which has four Dublin stores, described Ireland's economy as '...