Top Stories

‘The Context’ – Season 2: Six books. Six podcasts. Six weeks

You’ll notice the books in season two of The Context talk about global infrastructure: oil and gas, cars, waste, cities, and aluminium. Along with, of course, those that try to influence such assets: notably the Chinese Communist Party and Google.

Sexton delivers on-field leadership that inspires his team and there are no lights in the box

As the Boks sought leadership from the traffic lights in the coaching box, Johnny Sexton’s confident authority on the pitch screamed to the world: “This is my team”. The Currency's World Cup coverage is in association with Interpath Advisory.

A new legal battle on the horizon for developer Greg Kavanagh

Alternative lender Lotus Investment Group recently appointed a receiver over company assets in South Dublin controlled by Greg Kavanagh. Now it has filed a High Court action against the property developer and his brother's business interests.

€11m farm sale kickstarts Devenish financial overhaul

The Co Meath land acquired by the Government to establish Ireland’s new national park was collateral for debt owed by the Belfast-based livestock nutrition group. The deal is part of a wider financial restructuring plan.

Higher costs show Stripe’s Irish presence keeps growing

Stripe’s rising expenditure in accounts filed in Ireland tells us more about the consolidation of Dublin as its tax centre than about its profitability.

Interest rates have gone up. This is how it has impacted property prices around the country

Places that were more expensive a year ago have seen, on average, smaller increases (or indeed price falls) over the past 12 months. The cheapest places a year ago have seen the biggest increases.

TikTok challenges €345m DPC ruling that it failed to protect children’s privacy

The Chinese-owned social media platform has already made it clear it is not happy with the regulator's decision. Now TikTok has lodged a judicial review aimed at overturning the Data Protection Commission's findings.

Paschal Donohoe on populism, the social perils of inflation, and what to expect in Budget 2024

As he enters final budget negotiations with his cabinet colleagues, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform talks about crafting a budget, explains why inflation is dominating his thoughts, and makes his case for the Government’s economic policies.

Top Voices

Male fury and the rage of Laurence Fox

Unafraid of consequence, Laurence Fox has done something he never thought he would––apologise. But what are the implications of his “Who would shag that?” rant, and what do they tell us about the world in which we live today? Kate Demolder writes. 

The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest marketing opportunities there is. We should use it for good

Clever marketing experts understand sport's power to change people's perceptions. Why not use the Ryder Cup to the planet's advantage?

Stephen Kinsella on Budget 2024: Moving from “how much” to “what for” 

The chance to be transformative for the nation is rare for any individual or group. Ministers for finance get a go at it every year. This may be the last budget that can be ambitious in structural terms for some time to come and it is too good a chance to waste.  

Sean Keyes on investing: How WFH breaks a generic office building

For 10,000 years, cities have been labour markets. But that might be true any more.

China’s capital conundrum: What does the falloff in foreign investment in China mean for Ireland and the global economy?

FDI flows towards China have weakened dramatically over the last 12 months, and they have now ground to a complete halt. Is the huge fall in China-bound FDI a reflection of globalisation going into reverse, or corporate de-risking?

Spanish Conquistadors, the Dutch disease, and escaping the paradox of plenty

We need to move beyond the short-term obsession and the archaic constraints of our traditional budgetary approach. We need to make and win the case in Brussels for splitting the capital budget from the current budget, and to fund the former separately.

Kate Demolder: Russell Brand did not hide who he was. We just never believed him

Brand's calcified persona was met with appreciation by men and global systems, most notably after the third wave of feminism in the 1990s – almost as if his presence alone told women that they should be nothing more than quiet, f**kable, and willing to do what they were told.

Tommie Gorman: Death of a salesman and how Ireland’s great artistic women are finally finding their place in the National Gallery

The town of Sligo lost one of Ireland’s great traders recently. His seven-decade career covered the era of the mighty transatlantic liners to the first credit card used in his shop. And on Dublin, women occupy an artistic pantheon, not a year too soon.