A major Dublin shopping centre has gone into receivership. The only surprise is how long it took and it is yet another sign of how Ireland’s stupidly harsh Covid-19 lockdown simply destroyed lives and livlihoods.
For context I finally fled Dublin mid-2021 because I had long lost faith in the Irish government actually giving a shit about the people in its country. Based on visits last year not much has changed and I doubt I would want to live there again, short of London getting nuked.
I remember wondering around central Dublin in the earlier part of 2021 and noticing how many retail units had been gutted. Businesses were repeatedly stamped on and as long ago as mid-2021 even prime shopping area Grafton Street was heavily written-down. Not even going to bother checking whether Debenhams on Henry Street is still an empty shell. Some new small businesses have popped up but the trend has been set.
Ireland finally opening up late-2021 was too little too late. People were forced to get used to shopping online and coupled with various anti-car policies they were not going to put up with the relative hassle of having to haul things home from the shops. Assuming the shops could actually get staff in given the sheer cost of living that is the result of reinflating the Celtic Tiger bubble.
Ireland is finished for business. All that is left is for the FAANGs to walk away when their sweetheart corporation tax deals are scotched by international agreements.