Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.