Austin Hughes

I think the economy is probably growing 2% to 3%, but how hot it is depends very much on where you are in the Irish economy.

Circumstances vary quite widely.

It's essentially the domestic focused economy, as you say, taking out all the fun and games around the multinational sector.

And as I say, I think the problem is there isn't a one number summary of what's happening in the Irish economy.

But again, the indication from the SRI is that things at least are moving in a positive direction.

Austin Hughes, good morning.

Good morning, Joe.

Super smart is a little bit of an exaggeration, even this early in the morning.

One sort of feeling that perhaps Ireland could do something against Portugal doesn't really count for super smart.

Just a lucky guess.

Yeah, it's the hope that kills you, Joe, as you know.

So that's not got carried away, but it was a great night's result.

Yeah, it's going the wrong way, really.

Cost of living pressures are picking up rather than fading away.

The headline rate, as you say, rose from 2.7% to 2.9%.

But if you look back, the number is for October last, October 2024.

Inflation was just 0.7%.

And, you know, it does point to a bit of pressure on prices in a lot of areas.

Now, food price inflation eased a little bit, 4.5 against 4.7.

But I don't think anyone shopping is going to notice that.