In this episode, guest Mark Henry joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss optimism at a national and global level. Mark is an Author, Speaker, and the Central Marketing Director for Tourism Ireland. Mark trained as a psychologist and led Irish technology companies’ research and strategy functions before turning to work in tourism. He is passionate about sharing the incredible progress Ireland has made.

When the Irish State was formed in 1922, Ireland was one of the most poverty-stricken nations in Europe, and it now has the second-highest quality of life in the world. Mark discusses what he thinks is the next challenge Ireland needs to address to sustain progress and maintain this position.

This episode explores some of the 100 remarkable achievements of Ireland’s first 100 years as an independent nation. Mark identifies the four factors that have accounted for Ireland’s extraordinary success, as well as the five most prominent psychological biases that prevent people from easily acknowledging how far they have come. In this discussion, we highlight a number of these for our listeners.

As an Author, Mark loves to reveal the stories behind the data in an entertaining and impactful manner.And behind every fact about Ireland, there’s a captivating story worth telling. He shares how Ireland’s progress over the past century has been remarkable. And as Mark states, “to be objective about our past is to be optimistic about our future.”