Yeah I know its the US Independence day, but this is NOT what this post is about. What this post is about is that 20 years ago today as a 27 year old I came home to Ireland from England, and Ireland as well as myself have changed a lot since then. It was an overcast but warm day, and everything I had was in a kit-bag and a rucksack – and that included a small expensive 386 laptop which I had bought the previous week from my redundancy pay. England was in a bad way and in recession in 1992, and mom and dad (and my kid sister) had returned to Ireland a few years earlier; I had lost my job (voluntarily) and I had split from my then Girlfriend (she found someone new) and needed to get out of the rut my then life had gotten into.

Dad being the rock of a man he always was picked me up at Dun Laoghaire ferry port – the old train pier and not that fancy new one used by the HSS and we drove home to Navan. Ireland in 1992 was a very different place in many ways and in others was so very similar to today. Unemployment was high then and now – as was “the recession”; although the recession today is far worse than then. I have seen Ireland “boom” and “bust” because of Politician and developer greed where Fianna Fail bought electoral power with the money from a property boom used to bribe the electorate by reducing taxes and boosting the public sector and social payments. Ireland has become a haven for IT because of its closeness to Europe, we speak English and have a well educated workforce – being corporate friendly has helped. I have to admit the TV here is still awful and beautiful Georgian Dublin has been spoiled by high-rised development along the river and in the IFSC. A lot of the old cinema’s on Dublin’s O’Connell street and Abbey Street have closed – and a few new ones have opened. Thankfully the choice of cuisine has improved no end in Dublin in the last 20 years and the Porter House micro brewery produces some fantastic products.

Navan has gone from a charming quaint small country town town to one more bustling and surrounded by drab dreary housing estates full of people who commute daily to Dublin for work. There is now at least an “OK” motorway system in Ireland that was not there 20 years ago; although for the life of me I don’t understand why in Dublin they thought 2 lane motorways would be more than enough for any projected traffic load and that using roundabouts and traffic lights to gain access to motorways was the right thing to do.

I have had a great 20 years and life has been good to me and the family. I met a wonderful woman who for some bizarre reason decided to marry me; and together we have a wonderful daughter. I have a great sister who I have a grand relationship with and whose kids are gorgeous. Being an IT Developer/Architect is the best job anyone can have – well I think so. Life in short is good.

Coming home to Ireland 20 years ago was the best decision I ever made and I find it hard to understand how 20 years has passed so fast.

Anyway happy Independence Day everyone.

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