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Nearly 29,000 Irish nationals returned home to live and work in the year to the end of April, the highest number for 13 years. Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the overall population rose by 1.1 per cent, or 55,900 people, year-on-year to 4.98 million. An increase of 1.3 per cent, or 64,500 individuals…

Enterprise technology giant Oracle’s main Irish arm bounced back from a near €500 million loss last year as it acquired $11.4 billion in intellectual property rights from another group company by way of a promissory note. Oracle EMEA Limited, which employs more than 1,400 people in Ireland, recorded a €504 million pretax profits for the year ending…

Enterprise Ireland has re-opened a grant scheme that pays up to €40,000 to Irish-owned retail businesses to develop their online sales channels, especially for export markets. Yesterday the agency launched a €5.5m programme that is expected to attract bids from hundreds of firms. Grants can cover 80pc of an investment in improved online sales channels.…

The dramatic rise in the Government deficit this year does not make it more likely that Ireland will default on the national debt, according to analysts at Moody’s. The ratings agency has kept its stable A2 credit grade for Ireland, citing strong growth prospects once the Covid-19 threat is contained. “Our credit view of Ireland…

Offr, a property tech startup co-founded by former Savills and Allsop / BidX1 auctioneer Robert Hoban, has raised €3m in funding from Barclays Bank and a group of angel investors and venture capital firms. Offr is the first Irish company to receive a follow-on investment from Barclays through its London accelerator programme. The bank and…

While Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the global economy with a long recovery to follow, certain sectors have benefitted from its effects. Not just retail giants such as Amazon but small and scrappy Irish start-ups have experienced growth and even secured funding in these tumultuous times. Lasting memories of lockdown will be grocery-related: queuing for…

The Irish economy will contract by 8.5 per cent this year as a result of the economic shock triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, ratings agency Moody’s has warned. The agency, which had previously predicted only a small economic contraction of 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), said the Government’s prudent management of the…

Nearly two-thirds of businesses fear another lockdown, while one in five is trading at a loss, a CSO survey has found. KBC Ireland economist Austin Hughes said the figures showed that most firms have proved surprisingly resilient – but a large minority would risk collapse if a Covid-19 surge forced a second lockdown. The survey,…

Gas Networks Ireland has reduced its carbon footprint by 27pc over the past ten years, according to the company’s 2019 Sustainability Report released today. The networks operator plans to reduce its carbon emissions further going forward, both within its own operations and from decarbonising the gas transported through the network. It also has a 99pc…

Former European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi has warned governments to use the massive stimulus they’ve deployed in the coronavirus pandemic to upgrade their economies or face the risk of another debt crisis. In his first high-profile appearance since leaving his post in October, Mr Draghi called for “credible” economic policies to avoid disillusionment…