{"product_id":"impossible-dream-pb-w2","title":"Barry J Whyte: IMPOSSIBLE DREAM W2 [2020] paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 2006, a previously unknown Irish technology company by the name of Steorn created headlines globally when it took out a full-page ad in \u003cem\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/em\u003e, in which it claimed to have made the scientific breakthrough of this - or any other - century: perpetual motion, nothing less than a complete and immediate solution to the global energy crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe investment money poured in, with some of Ireland's most respected entrepreneurs and institutions getting on board, but the demonstration was a spectacular failure. So how did so many well-meaning and otherwise sensible people get things so desperately, absurdly wrong? The story begins with a malfunctioning CCTV system and ends with an exploding battery, and it drives home Ireland's frenzied state of mind during the Celtic Tiger years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A compelling and frequently bizarre read' - \u003cem\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e (Ireland Edition)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eThe Impossible Dream\u003c\/em\u003e, Barry J Whyte's new book about the rise and fall of what he describes as \"the Celtic Tiger's most audacious start-up\", proves once again that not all publicity is good publicity. It also shows that smart people can be as likely as fools to be easily parted with their money.' - \u003cem\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhyte brilliantly sets the context in which Steorn was first active, a time when it suddenly didn't seem strange to hear of taxi drivers buying apartments in Bulgaria. - \u003cem\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile there is some technical jargon and deep dives of company documents to wade through, The Impossible Dream is for the most part an easy-to-read yarn that firmly places the ascent and crash of Steorn within the context of the Celtic Tiger era. - \u003cem\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's hard to explain to anybody who wasn't here just how cash-drunk most of Ireland became during the heady, reckless days when the Celtic Tiger's roar was full-throated and it seemed the good times would never end. Barry J Whyte manages to capture the mood of the times, as he provides background on the country's \"most audacious startup\" from those gluttonous days. - \u003cem\u003eThe Business Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Steorn story is fascinating, although it sometimes feels like the equivalent of rubber-necking at a car accident as you drive slowly by; it's excruciating, but you can't turn away from what is essentially a  parable for our times. - \u003cem\u003eThe Business Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An extraordinary story and a fascinating book' - Pat Kenny\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Whyte, Barry J","offers":[{"title":"Very Good","offer_id":47467279286611,"sku":"XV80717188048","price":12.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"New","offer_id":44343307632930,"sku":"9780717188048","price":16.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/whyte-barry-j-barry-j-whyte-impossible-dream-w2-2020-paperback-53572280811859.jpg?v=1703152215","url":"https:\/\/theirishbookshop.live\/products\/impossible-dream-pb-w2","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}