An Post, in partnership with Dialogue, the direct response brand agency, brought together 27 of Ireland’s leading marketers to debate the future of marketing in Ireland.The book,by David McWilliams, is available for €29.52 including postage and packing (using regular post) within Ireland.

'What year marks the most crucial turning point in Ireland's history?' asks economist broadcaster David McWilliam's at the beginning of $aints and $pinners, an exploration into the future of Irish society and Irish marketing. 1916 for the Easter Rising perhaps? 1798 for the rebellion maybe?

Wrong! It's 1979 actually. Why? Because, he argues, it marked the beginning of the breakdown of many of the pillars of Irish society - most notably the influence of the Church and belief in politics and its servants. More importantly, it also marked the year when more Irish kids were born than any other year on record.

Using this generation of baby boomers - which McWilliams names 'The Pope's Children' - as the central motif for the book, he argues that that the coincidence of the breakdown of Irish institutions and a population bulge has profound implications for both Irish society and Irish marketers going forward.