This paper considers a particular phenomenon occurring in the Irish economy towards the end of the Celtic Tiger era, namely growth and collapse of the property bubble. Although describing particular events through the eyes of a commercial lawyer it seeks to raise a number of questions which are of interest to a multidisciplinary audience about a uniquely Irish event. In doing so it considers the roles of those involved and seeks to place in a commercial context questions which are of continuing interest in terms of exploring human, and in particular, Irish identity.