When Muhammad Ali visited Dublin to fight Al Blue Lewis he famously asked where do all the black people hang out? He was told there weren’t any. Dave Hannigan has written a marvelous book about that week in Ireland. He talks to Dion Fanning about Ali’s time in Dublin and the people who made it happen.
Norman Crowley has set his global climate change business on a path to double revenue every year – although he acknowledges a nine-month setback from Covid-19. Speaking to Thomas Hubert from his base in Co Wicklow, he explains the rationale behind the formation of the Cool Planet Group, which raised €30 million from French investors earlier this year. The Crowley Carbon energy efficiency business at its centre now serves international clients from Google to Glanbia, and is preparing to license out the software providing the brains of the operation. Meanwhile, an assembly site is under construction at the Powerscourt Estate to manufacture million-dollar luxury electric cars. As the Greens are set to enter government here, does Crowley expect a policy boost to his business? His answer is a definite “no”.
Since it opened seven years ago, Dublin’s Forest Avenue has developed a reputation as one of the country’s finest restaurants. But its success – and the demands of the industry – has also had an impact on the couple behind the eatery – John and Sandy Wyer. Fearing burnout and operating in an “unworkable industry”, the couple were looking at ways to reinvent themselves and their business – and Covid-19 has given them a chance to do just that. Within days of the lockdown, they had transformed their property into a high-end food store, a move that allowed them to retain staff, maintain relations with suppliers and keep paying the bills. In this podcast with Sam Smyth, they talk about their journey to date, why Forest Avenue is “full of contradictions and juxtaposition” and how they prefer happy customers to awards.
David Maxwell, the chief executive of the fast-growing Mexican fast casual food brand Boojum, is part of the Save Our Restaurants Coalition, a group of restaurateurs that have developed a package of proposals aimed at salvaging the industry from the Covid-19 crisis. The group has tabled a package of tiered remedies to address what it believes are three main issues – labour costs, occupancy costs and debt repayment. The first two are essentially asks upon the state, while the third will require buy-in from banks. So, just exactly what are the group looking for, and will they get the state and lenders to back the proposals? Maxwell takes Ian Kehoe through the issuers and the detail.
Stephanie Meadow is one of the world’s top female golfers – playing on the LPGA Tour in the US and representing Ireland at the 2020 Olympics. She moved from Jordanstown, Co Antrim to South Carolina in the United States when she was just 14, to pursue her love of golf. Since then, she has broken college golfing records, turned pro and moved into the top 50 in the world rankings. But Meadow is much more than just a golfer. An accounting graduate, she negotiates her own sponsorship deals, manages her schedule, does her own marketing and is her own agent. In short, she is a self-employed entrepreneur. In this in-depth podcast, Meadow talks about the business side of golf, her role in representing her sponsors such as Investec, Immedis and ATA. She also talks about the impact of Covid-19 on her season, and the importance of growing female participation in sport
Even after stepping down as governor of the Central Bank in 2015, Patrick Honohan has remained an articulate voice on Irish economic policy. This has been evidenced with his interventions on the current crisis, warning the government against virus loans to domestic businesses and dismissing the notion of helicopter money. In this podcast, he argues Ireland is in a much better position to weather this crisis than the last. However, he remains worried about the potential impact of the crisis on domestic banks and the future SME debt burden, while also warning on the difficulties of relaunching an economy.
The British government has unveiled an ambitious £1.25bn rescue package for start-ups, a move designed to help innovative firms navigate the crisis. How does the Irish government response compare? And what initiatives could be rolled out here? To discuss all this, Ian Kehoe is joined by Liz McCarthy, the executive director of Scale Ireland, a non-profit that aims to provide a voice for innovation-led start-ups. McCarthy talks about the impact of the crisis on start-ups, with a Scale Ireland survey showing that 67% of start-ups expect to burn through all their cash within six months. McCarthy also talks about what the government could do to help – from R&D tax rebates to bridging finance support to tax changes.
The IMF warned recently that the global coronavirus pandemic is causing an economic crisis the likes of which has not been seen since the Great Depression in 1929. For Irish business this is fast becoming a greater challenge than the financial crash of 2008. All over the world policymakers and businesses are trying to navigate the crisis – from hedging currencies to sharp movements in oil prices on top of the wide array of other challenges. To discuss this, and much more besides, Ian Kehoe is joined by Gearóid Keegan an expert in corporate and institutional treasury with Investec, and by Ronan Dunphy, chief economist with Investec Europe.
Conor Brady raised eyebrows when he was appointed Editor of The Irish Times, as he was the first Catholic ever to be in the position. During his time there, the paper broke stories that shook the nation, including the story of Bishop Eamonn Casey’s relationship with Annie Murphy. During his time in journalism, he became acutely aware of the process of defamation cases and the damage they can inflict on publications. This inspired his new project. A tech solution he developed with his son called Caliber AI which catches defamation statements.
Pressure is mounting on the state to bail out vast tranches of the domestic economy and households. Meanwhile unemployment is surging and economic activity collapsing. So, are we facing another period of prolonged austerity? Or can we chart a new fiscal future? In this podcast, economist Stephen Kinsella tells Ian Kehoe how we can rebuild the economy and avoid austerity.
Companies aren't in the habit of keeping three months' worth of cash at hand. As the lockdown begins, many corporates are scrambling to get their hands on it. In this podcast, Ian Kehoe and Sean Keyes discuss the importance of cash flow and working capital and assess the balance sheets of some of Ireland’s biggest companies – including Ryanair, Glanbia, Kingspan, Flutter and Greencore.
