The uncertainty around the current COVID-19 crisis has been compared to the economic crash of a decade ago.

But what can we learn from that time?

Ruairí McKiernan is the author of Hitching for Hope: A Journey Into the Heart and Soul of Ireland.

The book tells the story of how he went hitchhiking around the country in the wake of the Celtic Tiger collapse, the people he spoke to along the way, and the things that gave him hope.

Ruairí joined us on The Last Word to talk about the book and the importance of hope during a crisis.

Listen to the interview in full by pressing the play button on this page.