Author: Practicenet

Competitiveness concerns in Dublin, allied with the Brexit risk to rural Ireland, present the greatest risk to the economic outlook, according to a report published this morning. The Economic Eye Summer Forecast from financial services firm EY predicts economic growth across the island to be at 2.4pc until the end of the decade, with 91,000 […]

Mortgages are squeezing out cash buyers in large numbers for the first time since the downturn, helping drive house price rises to boom-time levels across swathes of the country. Property prices in at least eight counties are now rising faster than during the boom years, as competition for homes continues to heat up. During the […]

Insurance is one of life’s necessary evils with one-way traffic when it comes to premiums. Now the heads of the two biggest health insurers warn that costs could double over the next decade. Today’s average premium of €1,200 will increase to over €2,400 at the same time as cover for procedures is cut in an […]

British Prime Minister Theresa May last night outlined a “fair” deal to reassure EU citizens about their status post-Brexit, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar sought to highlight Ireland’s case at his first EU summit. Mrs May, significantly weakened by her humiliating general election result, moved to reassure fellow leaders that her government will protect the rights […]

Minister Paschal Donohoe has warned of possible “capacity constraints” in the labour market if the unemployment numbers continue to drop at the expected rate. While the Government doesn’t expect a situation to arise where there won’t be enough workers to fill available jobs, Mr Donohoe said the scenario is something ministers would have to “reflect […]

The strengthening dollar against the euro means that Dublin – along with its fellow Eurozone members – have fallen down the rankings in terms of most expensive destinations for expatriates to locate to. According to Mercer’s 2017 Cost of Living Survey, Dublin is the 66th most expensive city in the world for expats in terms […]

An analytics company that engineers wearable technology for elite sports has teamed up with an Irish start-up to make its product accessible for the amateur sportsperson. Catapult Sports was born in 2006 after founders Shaun Holthouse and Igor van de Griendt saw an opportunity to capitalise on developing micro technology they were developing for professional […]

A recovery in the housing sector to meet new and pent-up demand risks undermining the public finances if not managed properly, the Fiscal Advisory Council has warned. The chairman of the State’s budget watchdog Seamus Coffey said housing construction rates are so low we are building up problems, but output could ramp up quickly from […]

Brexit will have a more permanent impact on Ireland than the financial crisis which rocked the country in 2008, a top economist has warned. “The shock from Brexit won’t be as deep as the 2008 financial crisis – but it will be more permanent,” said Alan Ahearne, director of the Whitaker Institute in NUI Galway, […]

From over a hundred applications, through a rigorous Dragons’ Den style bootcamp, the finalists for the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards 2017 can finally be revealed. Some 16 of Ireland’s entrepreneurs with an ambition for social change in Ireland will now go through to the final stages of the selection. They will pitch their projects to […]