Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

First up on Inside Business this week, we look at the woes impacting the Irish aviation sector.Aer Lingus last week announced plans to cut up to 500 jobs at the airline, the equivalent of 8 per cent of its workforce.And Ryanair announced on Monday that its profits had dropped in the first half of the year due to higher fuel costs and a reduction in air fares as people hedge their travel plans amid the current increases in the cost of living.To discuss these issues, host Ciarán Hancock was joined in studio by Davy stockbrokers aviation analyst Stephen Furlong and on the line by Eoghan Corry, a veteran aviation journalist.Plus, Ciara O’Brien of The Irish Times on the Government’s plans to introduce a digital wallet, that in time could hold your passport and driving licence.How will it work and why is it being brought in now?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock speaks to Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times about the State’s purchase of the a 5-acre site on O’Connell Street in Dublin that used to house the Carlton cinema. Officially, it has been purchased for the Metrolink underground rail link to Dublin airport. But is this part of a wider plan by the Government to take charge of regeneration in this key urban quarter of the capital?Why did Transport Infrastructure Ireland pay €80 million to purchase the site from UK developer Hammerson? And did it really need to buy the site to deliver a Metrolink stop on O’Connell Street?Plus, fighting has once again broken out in the Middle East as the fragile ceasefire between the US an Iran has impacted on shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz. Denis Staunton has covered the story for The Irish Times, and he sums up the events of this week and where peace talks might go from here.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

On this special episode of Inside Business recorded at EY’s head office, host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Dr Harriet Treacy, founder and CEO of BeyondBMI, Ireland’s first online medically led weight management and obesity clinic.She explains how frustration at the inefficiencies of healthcare systems was the catalyst in her decision to pivot from a medical doctor to an entrepreneur.Harriet is a finalist in the Emerging category for the 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards.Also on this episode, is Tommy Kearns, CEO and co-founder of customer engagement platform Xtremepush. The company helps legacy media transition to digital, and new companies that have emerged over the last decade or so. Tommy also outlines the pivotal role AI is playing in the company’s present and future.Tommy is a finalist in the Established category for the 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards.Plus, we also hear from Roger Wallace, Head of Assurance & EY Entrepreneur of the Year Partner Lead at EY Ireland, on how AI is being implemented in the company’s business – the level of investment needed and the impact on employee roles. Roger also highlights the value of our indigenous entrepreneurs against the backdrop of our economy being driven by overseas investment.Produced by John Casey.

In the first half of this week’s Inside Business, we debate the merits or otherwise of the now permanent 9 per cent VAT rate for the hospitality sector which kicked in on Wednesday.This followed a pledge in last year’s budget to cut the rate, and a long lobbying campaign by many in the industry. But at a cost of €681 million in a full year, is it a good way to spend taxpayer’s money? And should the Government have looked at other ways to support the sector rather than this tax break?Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurant Association of Ireland will argue the case for, while Barra Roantree, assistant professor of economics at Trinity College, will explain why he believes this is a bad policy by Government.In the second half of this episode, John McCartney, a lecturer in property economics at TU Dublin, will explain why he thinks the downturn in the Dublin office market is a permanent one, and not just cyclical as some in the industry would argue. Has the market peaked? And will vacancy rates continually increase?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

On this week’s episode of Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock has Irish Times new recruit Killian Woods in studio to discuss a Government scheme to support the building of apartments in our cities, which looks set to miss a key target.Croi Conaithe cities is a Government support scheme to help plug the affordability gap to support apartment building, which is a key plank in the State’s plan to solve the housing crisis.Earlier this week, Killian wrote a story in The Irish Times stating that the scheme was in danger of missing its key target of building 5,000 new apartments over the lifetime of the scheme.What will happen when the scheme’s €450 million budget is spent? And has the building sector here come to rely too much on State subsidies?In the second half of the programme, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation explains why the country is in danger of not having enough bedrooms to accommodate tourists. This is despite the Government’s aim to increase Ireland’s tourism revenue by 50% by 2031. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. 

The announcement of a 60 day ceasefire in the Middle East to allow detailed negotiations on what we understand could be a deal to end the conflict, has given the financial markets breathing space.First up on this week’s podcast is the potential impact on energy prices through the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil, liquified natural gas and fertiliser.The Irish Times’s Cliff Taylor assesses what we can expect from energy prices and how it could impact interest rates, a review of which is due from the European Central Bank in July.Ciaran also speaks to the manager of Toners Pub in Dublin, Luke Stedmon, about the boost in trade he’s seen as a result of the FIFA World Cup.And while he’s in the studio, how much is he charging for a pint, and how much has it climbed in his eight years working in the pub trade.Presented by Ciaran Hancock. Produced by JJ Vernon, John Casey and Andrew McNair.  

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business is Elon Musk's company SpaceX and its plan to raise $75 billion through what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history this Friday.The company values itself at $1.75tn, but some analysts feel it is worth far less.Could it prove to be a risky bet for the retail investor given SpaceX's lack of profit? And there are question marks over governance given Musk's almost untouchable status within the company.To get some insight on all this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Aidan Donnelly, head of Global Equities at Davy.Plus, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is expected to announce a 0.25% rise in the ECB's interest rate, this will bring it up to 2.25%.It will be the first interest rate hike since 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact that had on energy prices.So, what does this week’s increase mean for Irish mortgage holders and those looking to buy?And is this the beginning of a cycle of increases designed to control rising inflation?Cliff was joined in studio by Senior Mortgage Advisor at Irish Mortgage Brokers, Michael Dowling.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

This week, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by An Post chief executive David McRedmond, who is about to step down after 10 years in charge of the State-owned company.He recently wrote an article for The Irish Times about the explosion in online shopping in this country and how it would impact on bricks and mortar retailers.Last year An Post delivered 75 million parcels to Irish homes.This year he expects that figure to be well north of 100 million parcels. All this in a country of just two million homes.In this episode, you’ll hear David outline how he believes we need to reimagine the streetscape in our towns and cities to reflect this shift.And he gives ideas on what to do with the historic GPO in Dublin, which An Post largely vacated some time back for new offices in the docks.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. 

This week Inside Business looks at pay transparency. A new EU directive requiring employers to disclose salary ranges in the workplace and toughen rules enforcing gender pay equality comes into effect on June 7th.However, Ireland is set to miss that deadline, with no draft legislation in place. Nichola Harkin is head of employment law services at employers’ group Ibec and joins host Ciaran Hancock in studio to explain the key elements of the new EU pay legislation and what it will mean for employers and their staff.How is it being received by companies here? And will it close the gender pay gap?In the second half of this episode, Ciarán speaks to Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan about the new governor of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh. He has been described by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman as Donald Trump’s sock puppet.So, the question is, will he be his own man or a Trump patsy?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.