Today was a “Lucky Day” as we got to hear the insightful Dr. Kelly share his valuable wisdom about the Irish economy, visit the creative and eccentric ThinkCloud, and to top it all off: witness a DOUBLE rainbow in Ireland. Absolutely iconic.

I have observed change throughout Ireland’s environment in various ways. The most obvious being the Financial District, which is full of newly built high rise luxury apartments, and prestigious corporate buildings. These modern infrastructures compared to the more traditional and older buildings I’ve seen in South Dublin accurately reflect the shift in Ireland’s economy and standard of living. Additionally, ThinkCloud was an excellent example of changing standards for corporate work. The building was very modern and youthful with disco balls, bright colors, and of course, the nude painting. This shows the shifting values for young adults in the workforce. They seem to value a more laid back, noncomforming environment to work in. This approach is beneficial because the employees are more comfortable and creative. However, other companies with older generations tend to not take these fresh companies as seriously. Based on the two site visits today, I concluded that “Old Ireland” typically were working class citizens with limited career options, and “New Ireland” is full of a diverse array of people who are straying away from prior norms.