Ireland Goes Looking for Outside Help

On Feb. 9, Bill Clinton stood at a podium and practiced the art he has refined since leaving office: introducing people who have money to people who need it. This time the people in need are the Irish. They want investment, not a bailout.

The lunch audience, about 80 people in a New York University auditorium, sat at tables around wicker baskets of Bolands Elite Chocolate Kimberly mallow cake, an Irish treat. Clinton wore an emerald necktie; on the stage next to him sat Enda Kenny, Ireland’s Prime Minister. “Now is the time to invest in Ireland,” said Clinton, “where property is … a steal. You’ve got the best educated workforce in the world, and a lot of people are dressed up with nowhere to go.”