THE German news magazine Der Spiegel yesterday became the latest voice to join the international chorus of admiration for Ireland's economic performance.
Less than a month after The Economist described Ireland as "Europe's shining light", the German magazine has published a lengthy paean of praise for "the green island, which was Europe's poorhouse for centuries".
As Germany struggles to qualify for EMU amid sluggish growth and record unemployment, it can only envy Ireland's low inflation and high growth rate. Der Spiegel acknowledges the role of foreign investment and Brussels in Ireland's boom but it gives most of the credit to the "intelligent industrial policies" pursued by successive governments.
It notes the social changes in Ireland during the past decade, notably the decline in Church influence.
It describes the smartly dressed young people on Grafton street and the emergence of a "cafe society" in Dublin, and concludes that the Irish have at last discovered happiness.
