WITH THE effects of the recession still being felt and a brutal budget looming, it is perhaps hard for Irish people to see any silver lining in the dark clouds.

But it appears things are different from the outside looking in, with a UN Development Programme report ranking Ireland fifth in a quality-of-life index.

Ireland retained its spot in the top five countries in the annual Human Development Index, with just Norway, Australia, New Zealand and the US rated as better places to call home.