 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Druids on the Hill of Tara during a summer solistice festival. Also known as the Hill of Kings, this site outside of Dublin was considered a symbolic center of Ireland.
|
|
|
|
A large part of Ireland's economic boom is concentrated in Dublin, compelling an increasing number of rural Irish to move closer to the city. With more and more Dubliners commuting from distant suburbs, traffic is so congested that the trip can take hours. Public transportation has not kept pace, and Dubliners are taking to their cars in record numbers. The resulting traffic problems have generated catastrophic predictions that one day Dublin will resemble Mexico City, with its gridlock and horrendous smog.
The surge in construction has generated tensions between traditionalists and expansionists. Nowhere was this more apparent than when the Irish government proposed building a highway close to the Hill of Tara. The highway was critical to easing Dublin traffic congestion, said the government. Critics complained that alternative routes were not researched, and that the highway would not only compromise the view from the Hill of Tara but also possibly destroy history yet undiscovered. Another controversial proposal by the Irish prime minister is to move many of Dublin's national government departments out of the capital into outlaying counties, in order to "spread the wealth" (and the traffic), and to move government workers to areas with more affordable housing. This program has met with resistance as well; change has been welcome in Ireland, but is also viewed somewhat suspiciously.
Credit: AP/John Cogill
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Briefing
Read about the lifestyles of the "Full-On" nation in this excerpt from the book, THE POPE'S CHILDREN.
Handbook
Learn about the past, present and future of North-South economic ties.
Filmmaker Notes
Go behind the scenes with the program creators.
|
|
|
|
|
|
