Such "ghost estates" are only the most visible scars of Ireland's extraordinary crash, which in four years has turned the country from Europe's star performer into a sickly invalid.

这种“荒凉之地”只是爱尔兰巨大经济崩溃的最明显的伤痕，四年来这场崩溃已将爱尔兰从欧洲新星变成一个虚弱的病患。