Rite and Reason: If you listen to the chat shows every so often, you'll recognise a broad topic that often arises relating to the incompatibility of religion or social concern or traditional social values with the modern age writes Archdeacon David Pierpoint.
The "Celtic Tiger" has done more than roar the economy into unparalleled growth levels and brought more jobs and increased wealth to the country (though largely to the already wealthy). It has also supposedly swept away old ways of thinking and narrowed our focus to the adage that "he (or she) who dies with the most toys wins".
Many people, not to put too fine a point on it, glory in this fact. No more going back to the 1950s or even 1970s, they'll say, with their stagnant economy and authoritarian religious values.
To these people, stagnation, religious values and authoritarianism are synonymous, all relics to be thrown aside in the consumer culture. Never mind the fact that Cori and the Combat Poverty Agency have pointed out in their pre-budget submissions that relative poverty is increasing despite the economic boom.
In a book published in late 2004 by Ashfield Press, The Church of Ireland in the Age of Louis XIV, Andrew Whittaker describes the effect of Dublin's last great "boom".
Dublin grew astonishingly from being smaller than Norwich or York in 1660 to become, in 1800, the sixth city in Europe and the second-largest in these islands.
Not a mere decade of "Celtic Tiger" expansion this, but rather growth and development over a period in excess of a century and a time still seen by many as Dublin's golden age.
This was the era of Grattan, Swift and Tone. It was the age that saw the building of Merrion Square, the Custom House, the Four Courts, Trinity College as we now know it and the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. Of the period that preceded this, the two cathedrals and Dublin Castle are among the few major public buildings that stand out today. Almost all of the public buildings we consider quintessentially "Dublin" date from the 18th century.
One of the things that distinguish this development from the current continual restructuring in Dublin is the fact that the spiritual dimension to life was to the fore.
It was during this period that many of Dublin's most famous churches were built.
The Pro-Cathedral, the "Pepper Canister" (St Stephen's Church, Upper Mount Street), St Matthew's Irishtown were all built during this time. The provision of a place to worship God was seen as an integral part of development and a service that was as vital, as necessary and as important as that of transport or retailers.
Of course you can't paint an overly rosy picture of this period.
It was also a time of grinding poverty and political exclusion on both religious and social grounds. But it does show that economic development, growth and expansion are entirely compatible with religious values and indeed they can complement each other.
In the present circumstances, the churches or other places of worship are increasingly an afterthought in development, insofar as they are thought about at all. This hasn't stopped many of the present custodians of some of those older churches from responding imaginatively.
St Ann's in Dawson Street and St Michan's near the Four Courts are among the many that now open their doors throughout the day. In a city like Dublin, with people commuting for up to 50 miles, a person's church is no longer necessarily close to where they live (or to be more accurate, near where they sleep), but rather close to where they work.
Places like these provide commuters with the opportunity for quiet space to reflect and pray in an increasingly long workday.
Furthermore, in response to the challenge, a small working group, consisting initially of clergy and laity from the Christian churches (but which hopefully in time will include all faiths), is examining the feasibility of a place for quiet contemplation as well as for worship in the Docklands area of Dublin .
The Docklands area, with the IFSC, new apartments and hotels, is synonymous with modern Ireland, in both its positive and negative aspects.
It is bustling, thriving, multicultural and unashamedly secular.
By the year 2010, it is expected that some 14,000 people will commute daily to this rapidly developing area of the city, often leaving home between 6am and 7am and not returning until after 7pm. Many will live there.
Perhaps we need a return to the values of the 1800s, when places of worship were seen as a necessary part of development rather than an afterthought.
Such a place of reflection and contemplation as the proposed Docklands project is a small attempt to bring God back into the workplace rather than confine Him to a ritualistic one-hour "slot" on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
David Pierpoint is Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin