Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

First up on this week’s Inside Business is Ireland’s housing crisis and where it is felt most – Dublin city. Mark Fitzgerald is chairman of the Fine Gael Commission for renewal and a non-executive director of Sherry FitzGerald Group. He joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss a recent piece he wrote for the Irish Times where he highlights restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning as some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital. But what decisions led to the current scarcity of supply and what choices could be made to meet demand for future generations in the capital?Also on this episode, the latest report from the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests Ireland is trending to fall far below the 2030 targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan.Focusing on decarbonising Irish households, the report highlights the slow uptake in retrofitting and the installation of heat pumps. The report also points out some of the barriers preventing homeowners from taking such measures.Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer with the ESRI and co-authored the report. She joined Cliff on the line to go through the report’s key points.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

First up on this week’s Inside Business is St Patrick’s Day. It’s just six days away but the festival itself is a four-day affair this year and will begin on Saturday. The man in charge of this major annual undertaking is Richard Tierney, chief executive of the St Patrick’s Day festival. He joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss year-long preparations that went into the 2026 festival, what it means for the economy and the part it plays in kicking off Ireland’s tourism season. Earlier this week, The Irish Times began an 8-week series on how to invest. Fiona Reddan is the author of the series, and she joined Ciarán in studio to discuss the thesis behind the series and the various that she will cover.She began with a piece on how Irish people are leaving up to €172 billion on deposit with the banks, earning little or no interest.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. 

As the US-Israel attacks on Iran intensify and the conflict spreads in the Middle East, the impact on the world economy is already being felt. Ireland is already seeing motor fuel prices creep upwards, and the cost of home-heating oil soar in recent days. Do those price increases reflect reality or are Irish consumers getting taken advantage of? Will prices continue to rise? And how soon before Donald Trump can claim victory and find a resolution? Host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times, professor in energy economics at UCD, Lisa Ryan, and Head of Global Equities at Davy, Aidan Donnelly.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

First up on this week’s Inside Business are US tariffs. Last Friday, the Supreme Court there ruled that Donald Trump’s tariffs from last year via emergency legislation were illegal. Trump responded by introducing a 10 per cent global tariff under separate legislation. So, what does this mean for Irish exporters? And what does it mean for the trade deal agreed last year with the European Union?Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times has been writing about the tariffs decision while Pat Rigney of the Shed Distillery exports gin and whiskey to the American market, which is a huge part of his business. They explain the Supreme Court’s decision and outline what the position is right now for Irish exporters in terms of how much they will have to pay in tariffs. Also on this episode, we look at the Central Statistics Office figures published last week that showed the number of employees working remotely declined for three successive quarters to the end of 2025. Although just shy of 1 million workers are still working from home. Louisa Meehan is a HR expert with Woodview HRM and she joins host Ciarán Hancock on the line to tease out whether the tables have turned on hybrid working or if this is just a statistical blip. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris announced a plan this week to introduce a new savings scheme to unlock the €170 billion that people here are keeping in mostly low-yield bank deposit accounts.His plan is to devise a scheme that generates good returns for savers in a way that puts the money on deposit to better use in the economy.Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times covered the story this week, he joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio to assess how such a scheme might work and what might be on the table come budget time.In the second half of this episode, we discuss how visitor numbers to Ireland were down last year, the weather in 2026 has been lousy so far and the country has been getting a reputation as a high-cost location for a holiday.On the flip side of the coin, the Government has decided to scrap the passenger cap at Dublin Airport and has eased rules that would have banned short term holiday lets in rural locations.Eoghan O’Mara Walsh is chief executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and joined Ciarán on the line to discuss the issues facing the tourism industry this year and its likely asks of Government in the next budget.And with St Patrick’s Day on the horizon and it being the typical starting point of the Irish tourism season, how is the year ahead shaping up for the industry?Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

First up on this week’s episode of Inside Business, we look at new research this week from Revolut suggests that social media companies made €32 million in revenue from scam ads to Irish users in 2025. The figure for Europe as a whole was a whopping €4.4 billion.Host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Irish Times reporter Hugh Dooley to takes us through the headline findings from the Revolut research, while Irish Times columnist and economist David McWilliams discusses how his image was used by scammers last year to con people out of money.Also, research this week from the ESRI suggests the property industry is using ghost bids and other tactics to create a frenzy and nudge buyers into increasing their bids for properties here.It found participants’ bids were pushed higher in open auctions managed by estate agents or online platforms than in sealed bid auctions.Owen Reilly is a leading estate agent in Dublin, and he discusses how the research chimed with his own experience in the industry.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

On this week’s episode of Inside Business, we hear the argument for scrapping mandatory retirement here.Host Cliff Taylor is joined on the line by Irish Times contributor John Fitzgerald who thinks Ireland should follow the lead of Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Netherlands, where three-quarters of the population aged 60-64 are in the labour force. He makes the case that such a move could not only reduce the numbers on the State pension, ease the cost of ageing to the exchequer, but also help alleviate the housing crisis.Also on this episode, we look at the German economy, which is frequently referred to as the Engine of Europe, but has begun to sputter quite a bit in recent times.A lack of much-needed reform, low levels of foreign investment and ineffective fiscal stimulus measures are just some of the reasons the German Chancellor Freidrich Merz is under increasing pressure to revive the economy, and quickly.But what needs to be done before that revival can start? And is there any cause for positivity in the economic outlook for Germany this year? Irish Times Berlin correspondent Derek Scally offers some insights.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

This week on Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Cliff Taylor to talk about the recent surge in the price of gold, which went past $5,000 an ounce on Monday, setting a new high. In January alone, the price has climbed by 17 per cent.So, who’s buying it? Why is it viewed as a safe investment? And what role has US president Donald Trump played in this price spike?Cliff has been following the story and explains the reasons behind the price surge. The EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme has been running since 1998, with Denis O’Brien chosen as the first winner. Each year 24 finalists are chosen for a months-long programme of events, culminating in awards night and the announcement of the category and overall winners. Last year, Edward McCloskey of WaterWipes fame took home the overall prize. Roger Wallace is the EY partner in charge of the programme while 2025 finalist James Kelly is a managing director with LMH Engineering in Arklow, Co Wicklow. They joined Ciarán in studio for a chat on the benefits of the awards programme, what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the current state of Irish entrepreneurship.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

As the annual World Economic Forum enters its third day, host Ciarán Hancock is joined from Davos in the Swiss Alps by Irish Times Economics Correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy.US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, and the strain it is putting on EU-US relations, has dominated this year’s event so far. Trump is due to arrive in Davos on Wednesday afternoon.On Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron openly accused the US of trying to “subordinate” Europe and referred to the consequences that could arise from this “new colonial approach”.Also on Tuesday, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was damning in his assessment of Donald Trump’s impact on global politics and a “fading” rules-based order. He also warned countries against a policy of appeasement when it comes to major powers like the US.Speaking in Davos, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke echoed the concerns of many there, he told those in attendance that US strategy on Greenland, and the threat of tariffs to countries opposing the move, was effectively “tearing apart” the EU-US trade deal.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.