Top Stories

Paddy Cosgrave exit “window dressing”, claims Web Summit shareholder

In a series of emails , minority Web Summit shareholders Daire Hickey and David Kelly complained to the board that they were being kept out of the loop after Cosgrave's controversial departure, and the ex-CEO appeared to be still "calling the shots".

An alleged “shakedown” dispute has been settled as Tom Bailey and Ronan Barrett reach a “consensual settlement”

Tom Bailey sued the financier Ronan Barrett over a property deal, claiming he was the victim of a “shakedown”. Barrett rejected the claim and sued back. All disputes have now been settled.

Kevin McPartlan on net-zero: “If you’re interested in efficacy, rather than ideological purity, you have to take a technology-neutral approach”

Kevin McPartlan represents forecourt retailers, home fuel distributors and an oil refinery. Despite the consensus for net-zero carbon emissions, he sees a future for his industry.

Who is the billion-dollar property investor entering Dublin with an apartment project on a tricky site?

Past proposals to redevelop the Hendrons building attracted opposition across the political spectrum. A new American fund manager now wants to deliver housing on the semi-derelict site.

Weir’s jewellers boss Chris Andrews on celebrating the past and embracing the future

Weir & Sons dates back to 1869. But Chris Andrews, a fifth-generation scion of the family-owned business, is on a mission to drive the enterprise forward and ensure it is ready for the future. He talks watches, jewellery, and property.

Irish rugby at the Olympics: Great dangers in trying to turn 15s into 7s

A number of France’s top rugby players, including Antoine Dupont, will not be involved in the Six Nations championship. Instead they will concentrate on sevens rugby at the Paris Olympics and the chance of a gold medal. Should top Irish players follow suit?

“I wanted to understand how much autonomy I was going to have”: Katherine Maher on joining Web Summit

The chief executive of Web Summit is continuing her PR offensive and marking a new era of leadership for the company in an interview with the Masters of Scale podcast.

Eamon Waters aims to switch on Huntstown biogas plant in three months

Under the name Bia Energy, the waste and energy entrepreneur is accelerating the completion of the beleaguered Dublin anaerobic digestor he acquired from Energia earlier this year.

Top Voices

Tara Shine: Untangling the web of climate jargon for business leaders

Running your business sustainably begins with understanding what you’re talking about. From biodiversity to zero waste, this is a quick guide to the words behind the action.

The man behind DID Electrical (and much more besides): Rewinding the week that was

Ireland is quick to celebrate tech entrepreneurs and innovators. But it is important to celebrate and champion businesspeople like Gerry Houlihan also. 

Paul Flynn: Playing for a GAA club should not be like taking part in a survival camp

This week, GAA people have been talking about the club that issued a players’ charter with a string of demands. It is a nonsense. There are ways to test and build character amongst groups without creating an environment built on fear. 

A pint-of-plain antidote to manufactured 1980s pop, Shane MacGowan wrote truly great music

There was so much more to Shane MacGowan than wanton hedonism, writes Sam Smyth, even if his defining work is a relatively slim portfolio of beautiful songs from the 1980s.

Peter Kinsella: The US has a debt problem. We should all be worried

Moody’s decision to put the US on a negative watch was fully warranted, reflecting political dysfunction on an epic scale. The lack of any cohesive plan to deal with the US debt trajectory makes it more likely that other rating agencies will follow suit.

Conor Brady: The fundamental questions are for the body politic, not for An Garda Síochána

Policing only comes onto the political agenda when its shortcomings provide an opportunity to attack the Government. We have seen this again with the response to the riots in Dublin last week.

Stephen Kinsella: 2024 will be the year of the lag. This is why

Commercial property firms are failing, restaurants are closing, streets are emptying. Billions in warehoused debt remains warehoused with the tax authority. These are some of the more obvious economic scars from the pandemic.

Sean Keyes on investing: The market’s forecast for obesity drugs

There's a growing sense that GLP-1 inhibitor drugs, for the treatment of obesity, are going to be a big deal. What's the market's implied forecast?