“Tell you what, I think I know what I’d be doing if I had money, and if I wasn’t already massively over-exposed to the property market by virtue of owning a reasonable home. I’d be buying property. In fact, I might do it anyway.” [Brendan O’Connor, Irish Independent, July 29 2007]

“RESIDENTIAL property values have fallen by between 40 and 50 per cent from the peak levels they achieved in 2007, according to one of the country’s leading estate agencies.” [Ronald Quinlan, Irish Independent, August 23 2009]

“for the past decade or so in this country, anyone who wanted to gamble on the property market — which can, as we are seeing now, be much more volatile than the stock market — was given money hand over fist to do so. And yes, it’s infuriating that we are now being expected to pay for the really big losses…But in the meantime we still can’t put the shit back in the bull.” [Brendan O’Connor, Irish Independent, August 23 2009]

Thy name is Brendan O’Connor.