THE POPE'S CHILDREN

The book's title reflects McWilliams' belief that Pope John Paul II´s visit to Ireland in the autumn of 1979 was a watershed in the country's history. The children born during that period (who are now between the ages of 25 and 35) are "The Pope's Children" – the first generation since the Great Famine of the mid-19th century to experience an increase in the size of the population. (The rise in birth rates in Ireland began in the early 1970s and peaked in June 1980, exactly nine months after the pope's visit.) According to McWilliams, these 620,000 people became the country's key generation. They are the dynamo of Ireland's economy, politics and culture, and they will shape its face in the 21st century.