The computer is king. We went from potatoes to chips, said Finn Gallen, a spokesman for the Industrial Development Agency. Ireland also benefited from a shift in demographics. About 40 percent of the population is 25 and younger. Nearly 70 percent haven t reached 40.
Young faces are everywhere.
The small number of elderly puts less pressure on the government to spend tax dollars on social services. Ireland s new challenge is balancing the growth with the problems created by prosperity. Traffic around Dublin crawls. Refugees, mainly from Romania and Nigeria, wander the streets begging for money. Dublin s skyrocketing home prices are out of reach for many average workers.