Top Stories

Startup Ireland hopes to back 1,000 new start-ups in five years. How does it plan to do this?

A briefing document obtained by The Currency reveals a plan that is big on ambition but with details still to emerge. This is what it says.

Tom Lyons
6th Mar, 2026 - 2 min read

“This is a reality show, the stage is the Oval Office”: Scaramucci on St Patrick’s Day

During a fireside chat in Dublin on Wednesday, the former Trump communications chief offered advice for the Taoiseach's visit, criticised the US president's attacks on Iran, and derided his former taskmaster as an "ageing dowager".
Michael Cogley
6th Mar, 2026 - 6 min read

Can AI save local news?

The Philadelphia Inquirer and other regional outlets turn to AI to automate elements of reporting and expand coverage, writes Alexandra Bruell, The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal.
5th Mar, 2026 - 3 min read

Private provision – Part 3: State still pays big hotel bills for refugee accommodation

Despite a 2024 pledge to shift away from reliance on hoteliers, the latest data shows hotel groups remain central to emergency accommodation as the State struggles to deliver its own purpose-built centres.
Niall Sargent
5th Mar, 2026 - 6 min read

“A real opportunity to level-set pay gaps”: Employers face new EU salary transparency rules

Ireland is expected to transpose the Pay Transparency Directive into law by June, introducing a raft of new rules for employers to follow.
Jonathan Keane
5th Mar, 2026 - 7 min read

Powell won, but the Fed might still lose

The current chair wields deep bipartisan support and personal independence, but Trump has a closer relationship to his successor and three years to tighten his grip, writes Nick Timiraos, The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal.
4th Mar, 2026 - 8 min read

Private provision – Part 2: The offshore links of firms paid €1.2bn for refugee accommodation

From billionaire trusts to ownership dead-ends, The Currency examined the corporate structures of private providers with offshore links.
Niall Sargent
4th Mar, 2026 - 15 min read

Deutsche-led minority bondholders press on with transatlantic challenge to Ardagh deal

The packaging group’s recapitalisation is beginning to deliver improvements to its financial performance. Some holders of high-risk bonds squeezed out in last year’s transaction still want a better deal.

Thomas Hubert
4th Mar, 2026 - 5 min read

“Tony O’Reilly was very bright but at school his headmaster said to him ‘If you don’t knuckle down, you’ll end up selling newspapers’.”

Dion Fanning
7th Mar, 2026

A letter to Tony O’Reilly changed Kingsley Aikins’s life. His new book on networking looks at how human connection is fundamental to how we live well. He talks to Dion Fanning about the power of human connection, what we lost during lockdowns and his experience working for Tony O’Reilly.

Top Voices

Niall Sargent: When emergency becomes permanent, a broken model takes hold

With accommodation payments flowing to private providers since the early days of direct provision, is the State cementing a profitable enterprise model at the expense of a state-led, refugee-centred system?
Niall Sargent
6th Mar, 2026 - 4 min read

Dan O’Brien: A dangerous new war – but limited economic threat to Ireland

As oil and gas markets react to escalating tensions, the key question for Ireland is whether higher energy prices will trigger another inflation shock – or remain contained.
Dan O'Brien
6th Mar, 2026 - 4 min read

A new state savings scheme won’t fix Ireland’s broken savings system

If we are serious about building long-term financial resilience for households – and reducing long-term pressure on the State – this is the moment to step back and design a joined-up savings and investment framework that will still make sense in 20 or 30 years’ time.
Stephen Felle
5th Mar, 2026 - 7 min read

From “allocating funding” to a “development mindset”: A bid to make science work for the country

Under new CEO Diarmuid O'Brien, Research Ireland's inaugural strategy aims to transform the country's innovation output. Can thousands of new PhDs and a more entrepreneurial approach answer Mario Draghi's critique of European competitiveness?
Michael Cogley
4th Mar, 2026 - 5 min read

The worst of both worlds? Resetting rents in a market with no slack

Ireland’s experience over the past decade shows that rental crises cannot be managed indefinitely through emergency measures. Controls introduced as temporary responses tend to become permanent, and permanent systems need to be designed for the long haul.
Ronan Lyons
3rd Mar, 2026 - 7 min read

Joe Gill: Iran war explains why airline shares trade lower than other companies’

In a business exposed to pandemics and geopolitical threats, the risk of taking on debt is higher for airlines. This has consequences for their shareholders, whether they are governments or stock-market investors.
Joe Gill
2nd Mar, 2026 - 3 min read

Lessons from Frank: Back to school in Barcelona

A week at IESE Business School on Enterprise Ireland’s Leading Edge programme challenged 20 Irish business leaders to rethink strategy, leadership – and what we do about loyal employees like Frank Nash.

Paul McArdle
2nd Mar, 2026 - 5 min read

How Irish folk musicians put me back on my feet: Rewinding the week that was

The open mind and sheer energy of the current Irish music scene would do you good. It is tapping into a solid tradition without falling into the trap of fake purity.

Thomas Hubert
1st Mar, 2026 - 6 min read

© 2026 Currency Media Limited

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