Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

First up on this budget special, host Ciarán Hancock was joined on the line by Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy from Leinster House who took us through the headline elements of the budget.

In part two we focused on childcare, where many parents are put to the pin of their collar paying for their children to be minded in creches and other facilities.

Elain Dunne is chair of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers and owner manager of Treehouse Montessori in Dublin. Will there be enough for a sector that is struggling to make ends meet?

And in the final part of this episode, Ciarán was joined by EY tax partner Frank O’Neill and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times for their assessment of the budget measures and to discuss how this is being received by the Irish business community.

Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Inside Business, we start with Ireland’s economic outlook a week out from the Budget 2027 announcement.

After years of consistent steady growth and running a surplus, what potential challenges await next year?

Are we putting enough into the State’s rainy-day funds?

And why do developments with the US Federal Reserve have a clear impact on our economy?

To discuss all this, host Cliff Taylor was joined in studio by Rossa White, Chief Economist at EY Ireland.

In the second half of this episode, we look at agentic AI and why it has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately.

Data breaches and deceptive behaviour have led to growing calls from AI leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, for a more cautious approach to AI development and stronger safeguards.

But why don’t these companies know what their software is up to?

And is proper regulation even a possibility at this point?

Irish Times business and technology journalist Ciara O’Brien has been following these developments closely and she explained why agentic AI is giving big tech cause for concern.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Inside Business, we look at Ireland’s bulging tax receipts from the major multinationals.

Last week in an interview with Naomi O’Leary of The Irish Times, French finance minister Roland Lesscure suggested that this bounty should be shared around Europe, to reflect where the revenue is generated.

Naturally, this went down like a lead balloon with our Minister for Finance Simon Harris.

To discuss this, host Ciarán Hancock was joined on the line by Naomi, who is based in Paris for the Irish Times, and in studio by our in-house corporate tax expert Cliff Taylor.

What was the French minister’s justification for demanding a share of our corporate tax swag, and does he have a point?

Plus, Irish house price growth has been going gangbusters since 2013 and are now 28 per cent ahead of their Celtic Tiger peak.

But recent indicators from estate agents and the CSO suggest the level of price growth is on the wane.

Fiona Reddan has been looking at the trends in Irish house prices for the Irish Times, and she joined Ciarán in studio to discuss whether Irish house prices are likely to begin to fall.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, fuel prices at the pump continue to rise and Energia last week became the latest domestic player to increase its electricity and gas prices.

A winter of discontent potentially lies ahead with the Government scrambling to put together support packages for the budget on October 6th.

Muireann Lynch is senior research officer at the ESRI, and an energy expert and she joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to give her view on the outlook for energy prices over the short to long term and how this will feed in to costs for Irish households and businesses.

Also on this episode of Inside Business, we look at how the British and Irish Lions 2025 tour was hugely successful both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, the team won its test series in Australia 2-1. Off the pitch it made a record profit of £13m on revenue of £50m.

Ben Calveley is the chief executive of the company behind the British and Irish Lions and joined Ciarán via video link to discuss the financial success of the Lions and potential avenues of growth for the business of both the men’s and the women’s tours.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this episode of Inside Business, a family firm that has become one of Ireland’s best-known food brands.

Maxine Hyde’s grandmother - Ballymaloe founder Myrtle Allen - began making relish in the kitchen of their family run hotel. Today, Ballymaloe Foods has a range of products sold in supermarkets nationally, and a turnover of €15m.

Host Ciaran Hancock gives their signature relish a taste, and asks what it takes to grow a food business in a market dominated by multinational brands. How have changing consumer tastes shaped the company’s strategy? And can a premium Irish food producer continue to thrive as households keep a close eye on spending?

Also in this episode, we put one of the most talked-about gadgets of the year under the microscope. Dyson’s latest electric toothbrush comes with a price tag of €479, making it one of the most expensive brushes on the market. But does it actually deliver a better clean? Who is it designed for? And can any toothbrush really justify costing more than some smartphones?

Irish Times business and technology reporter Ciara O’Brien has been putting the device to the test.

Brought to you in association with EY.

Produced by John Casey, JJ Vernon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.