Chapters 13 and 14

Monagan finally got round the mystery of the Old Head of Kinsale (picture above), which has since 1989 been a golf course for fabulously rich Americans. Alas, the locals were given the red card and forbidden even coming near to it.

The Old Head is a true-to-life testimony of the downsides to modern investment.

Once brimful of history, a natural treasure with stunning vistas and lush flora, in which the locals reveled , today the Old Head is brim-full with the who-is-who list of celebrities, who reach it by helicopters and relax in the futuristic clubhouse.

No local can put his foot on its ground anymore despite the fact that something quite different was promised by its owner initially. It is really a crying shame that such eternal beauty and part of the Irish cultural heritage has been taken away from the public by an Irish man.

Investitors have become the new colonisers of Ireland. I'm very much afraid, if I think about my home country, that in 2-3 years' time the situation will be similar, if not, the same. All the magnificent, secluded Croatian beaches will become private property and we will all have to bath in the county's swimming pools rather than the sea. It may seem like a doomsday scenario, but I see it coming.

In chapter 14 I came across a description of a phenomenon I had believed the rights to whom had exclusively been sold to Croatia- the who do you know phenomenon. In Croatia you cannot do the simplest thing, like going to the dentist, if you haven't a friend who will put you forward. The job market is not an exception.

Who would have thought that the same is the case in Ireland. I guess, it is like that, in some way or another, everywhere on the planet. There has to be a certain period where neighbours and potential employers put you through the acid test before you are granted full membership in the society.

Alas, the Monagan's still weren't so far.