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1 day ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Darragh O’Brien has told a leading business group that he hoped legislation could end the row over the limit of 32 million passengers a year at Dublin Airport. The Minister for Transport had said last month that he had sought advice from Attorney General Rossa Fanning, the Government’s chief legal officer, on a solution to a dispute that has prompted court challenges from airlines.
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1 day ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Profits at specialist construction group Mercury rose 55 per cent to almost €114 million last year, new figures show. Accounts just filed for the Dublin-based group, which operates across Europe, said revenues climbed 14 per cent to €1.8 billion in 2024. Operating profit grew 56 per cent to €113.5 million, aided by a strong performance in Germany, which contributed €580 million to sales.
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Workers boosted State coffers in the first four months of the year paying almost €12 billion income tax, aided by April bonuses, official figures show. Exchequer returns, detailing Government’s income and spending, show the State collected €28.6 billion in tax from the start of the year to the end of April.
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Former banker Michael Fingleton faces a civil trial on Tuesday alleging that he negligently mismanaged the Irish Nationwide Building Society, which failed earlier this century following a financial and property crash. Now in his late 80s, Mr Fingleton ran the finance institution for about 38 years, first with the title managing director and later as chief executive.
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
The State-owned Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (Isif) is pledging more than €160 million to green technology businesses as it plans to double its support for climate action enterprises to €2 billion. The fund, which operates under the umbrella of the National Treasury Management Agency, aims to back the State’s climate goals by investing in projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost renewable energy and capture carbon from the atmosphere.
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
April’s trade war threat spooked shoppers last month, but there are no indications yet that Irish people plan to rein in spending, a survey indicates. The news comes as a Government report shows that consumers were key to recovery from Covid-19 lockdowns. Global uncertainty sparked by US president Donald Trump‘s pledge early in the month to tariff imports led to consumer sentiment here plunging, according to the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
About nine out of 10 Irish factory owners are optimistic about their businesses this year as sales and orders hold up, new research shows. Bibby Financial Services’ Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) confidence tracker recently found that 92 per cent of Irish businesses surveyed plan to invest this year, despite ongoing volatility. That study also found that 87 per cent of manufacturers were confident about their prospects, despite concerns about costs and raw material supplies.
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1 week ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Markets rose on Friday following signs of an easing in the trade war sparked by US president Donald Trump’s tariff announcement a month ago. New York’s S&P 500 is heading for its longest winning streak in over two decades. DUBLINRyanair holdings advanced 5.68 per cent to €21.96 as most European airlines found favour with investors. Insulation and building materials specialist Kingspan added 2.09 per cent to close at €75.85.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Union officials from Belfast aerospace manufacturer Spirit met politicians in Westminster on Wednesday as sources suggested that talks on a sale of part of the site are under way. Airbus has pledged to take control of part of the facility that makes components for the European aircraft giant, but fears remain for the future of more than 2,000 workers not involved in that operation.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishtimes.com | Barry O'Halloran
Shannon Airport handled 2.1 million passengers last year, the first time in 15 years that it broke the two-million mark. State-owned Shannon Airport Group said on Wednesday that profit fell to €25.7 million in 2024 from the €28.4 million it reported for 2023. Passenger numbers grew by more than 140,000, or 7 per cent, to 2.1 million last year from 1.96 million in 2023, according to the company. Last year was the first since 2009 that Shannon Airport handled more than two million travellers.
