‘They’ll start trimming fat routes’: How jet fuel shortages could affect Aer Lingus and Ryanair? Consumer confidence has taken a battering since the start of the year, and when that happens, holiday bookings take a pause

What does the jet-fuel crunch mean for Irish holiday-makers?

Some reporting for The Irish Times over the weekend.⤵️
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Martin escapes leadership heave but energy issues remain Inside Politics: Government braces for economic fallout as energy costs rise and international negotiations falter

A look at Ireland's political week ahead - after the heave that never was.

My Inside Politics digest for The Irish Times. ⤵️
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Why is alcohol-free beer so expensive? Walk up to a bar in Ireland and order an excise-free, non-alcoholic beer and you’ll pay close to the same as you would for the full strength equivalent

Amid all the talk about excise duty - I looked at why alcohol-free beer is still so expensive given it enjoys excise-free status. As clear as the black stuff itself. For the Irish Times. ⤵️
www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Can new €500m package end political turmoil over fuel? Inside Politics: Government defends plans as ‘most generous in EU’ while Opposition and protesters dismiss measures as insufficient

I had a look ahead at the political week in Ireland for The Irish Times - confidence votes, recrimination, fear and loathing etc. ⤵️
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

How vulnerable is Ireland’s economy to global unrest and oil-price shocks? Economists argue for targeted fuel supports and spending our taxation largesse on infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks

How big is the Irish's government's financial war-chest, and how much leeway has it to reduce fuel costs?

Answer - it's quite big. But there are also long-term problems to be addressed

My piece for today's Irish Times Biz pages. ⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

With Sky now involved, hundreds of Ireland’s dodgy box users will soon receive legal letters Thousands of Irish homes have a modified device attached to their livingroom television

With Sky now involved, hundreds of Ireland’s dodgy box users will soon receive legal letters - my piece in today's Irish Times. ⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Farm 999 debuted on BBC Daytime this week.

Solid numbers straight out the gate on Monday: 23.4% share - 769,000 viewers.

@stephmcgovern.bsky.social

Oil price rise to have deeper inflation impact than just increases at the pumps Reading US intentions on Iran is proving next to impossible

Today's piece for The Irish Times Biz pages.⤵️

Oil price rise to have deeper inflation impact than just increases at the pumps

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

"Friday 4.30pm and somebody is trying to kick off a project": The Irish working for US firms US firms employ more than 245,000 people here but working for one entails straddling time zones and negotiating different attitudes to work-life balance

"Friday 4.30pm and somebody is trying to kick off a project": The Irish working for US firms

‘I’m amazed with what I’ve seen so far in Ireland’: An interview with Novo Nordisk’s Irish boss For Novo Nordisk Irish country head Dilek Dogan Gurluk, the battle against diabetes is personal

She hates the term 'fat jabs'.

I sat down with the boss of Novo Nordisk's Irish operation - as the company looks to roll out its blockbuster Wegovy pill for global consumption. ⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Irish-American relations at their most strained since foundation of State Many Irish Americans backed Trump in 2024, but his more extreme policies have seen relations become strained

I checked back in on how Irish America is faring with Trump 2.0 - for The Irish Times.

It seems there is some buyer's remorse.⤵️

Irish-American relations at their most strained since foundation of State

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

The Middle East war and Irish hauliers: It’s costing €1,000 extra a day Companies carrying Irish freight to international markets are increasing their surcharges to compensate for higher fuel costs, with no end in sight to Middle East turmoil

Hauliers are the canaries in the inflation coal-mine.

I looked at how conflict in the Gulf has driven up diesel. ⤵️

The Middle East war and Irish hauliers: It’s costing €1,000 extra a day

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

The Middle East war and Irish hauliers: It’s costing €1,000 extra a day Companies carrying Irish freight to international markets are increasing their surcharges to compensate for higher fuel costs, with no end in sight to Middle East turmoil

Hauliers are the canaries in the inflation coal-mine.

I looked at how conflict in the Gulf has driven up diesel. ⤵️

The Middle East war and Irish hauliers: It’s costing €1,000 extra a day

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Iran conflict tests Ireland’s global role Inside Politics: The tumult in the Middle East will again drive discussion about the ‘triple lock’ and moving closer to Nato

Ireland's on-going security debate will be fuelled by Trump and Israel's assault on Iran - along with oil and gas prices.

Inside Politics digest looking at the week ahead.⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Episode 14 of Farm 999 airs tonight on BBC NI. Some advice on how to avoid getting the tractor stolen. ⤵️

Carlingford Lough’s Narrow Water Bridge to usher in new era on both sides of the Border Linking Warrenpoint in south Down to Omeath in north Louth, bridge is expected to have transformative effect

Narrow Water Bridge is coming soon - I've been talking to those on both sides of Carlingford Lough about the potential it has to change business, travel and tourism. ⤵️
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

The trouble with the Deposit Return Scheme: ‘They’re sitting on a pile of unclaimed deposits’ As Irish households get used to retaining empty receptacles, smaller producers raise concerns about the workload

Most read on Irish Times digital today - I look at the Deposit Return Scheme two years in.

The trouble with the Deposit Return Scheme: ‘They’re sitting on a pile of unclaimed deposits’

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2...

Icon faces big test after share price tumble Dublin-based clinical trials firm’s shares have plunged in the past week

Analysis of the huge slump in the share price of Irish clinical trials company Icon.

I talk to the man who made a 20% return this week on buying the dip.⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Episode 13 of Farm 999 on BBC NI tonight. ⤵️

What is happening with gold prices and will it last? The yellow metal is trading near record high, yet it is far from clear the gains are sustainable

Who has been buying gold and why?

Reported analysis for The Irish Times. ⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Irish adviser’s resignation may not be enough to save Keir Starmer Democrats in US are getting worked up about what Donald Trump might do in advance of November’s midterm elections

Today's Inside Politics digest for The Irish Times - looking at the week ahead.

Starmer staggers, the EU frets and Trump scares the Dems.

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Episode 11 of Farm 999 on BBC NI at 730. Up in Down with Mourne Mountain Rescue.

Willie Aherne on setting up a brewery to rival Guinness and Heineken: ‘We wanted to be masters of our own destiny’ The Palace Bar owner and fellow publicans established Changing Times as an alternative to ‘Big Stout’

A chat in the upstairs snug of Dublin's Palace Bar - about taking on 'Big Stout' and preserving Ireland's pub culture. ⤵️

Willie Aherne: ‘We wanted to be masters of our own destiny’.

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

BBC Audio | Red Lines | Mrs Little-Pengelly goes to Washington But who else will join her in DC this year?

The Irish government is going all-out with its St Patrick's day blitz in the US this year.

I discuss why - and whether it should at all - with @markcarruthers7.bsky.social and @markdevenport.bsky.social on BBC NI's Red Lines podcast.

bbc.com/audio/play/p...

Michael Flatley: Why the Lord of the Dance was in a Belfast court In the News podcast: World’s best known Irish dancer fought civil case and won

Michael Flatley obtained an emergency injunction today after Lord of the Dance was reportedly cancelled.

Here's an explainer podcast I did on the saga for the Irish Times on Friday.⤵️

Michael Flatley: Why the Lord of the Dance was in a Belfast court

www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-...

‘A biologically driven brain disease’: Will new laws protect children from gambling ads? One former addict fears late-night games during the Fifa World Cup will lead to reckless gambling with special offers

Gambling firms are betting on a big World Cup in 2026.

I look at the task awaiting the new Irish regulator.

‘A biologically driven brain disease’: Will new laws protect children from gambling ads?

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Episode 11 of Farm 999 airs tonight on BBC NI.

I meet the Welsh farmer forced to shoot dead two XL Bullys - and the efforts to track dangerous dogs through DNA. ⤵️

Nervousness pervades the Irish jobs market as days of strong multinational sector growth recede Almost 20,000 more people are out of work last month compared with December 2024

With unemployment edging up, I took a look at the Irish jobs market for the Irish Times Biz pages. ⤵️

Nervousness pervades the Irish jobs market as days of strong multinational sector growth recede

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Poll blow for Micheál Martin amid Trump tightrope Fellow Fianna Fáilers Jim O’Callaghan and Darragh O’Brien have been out promoting what they’ve been doing

I take a look at the Irish political landscape this lunchtime for The Irish Times' Inside Politics. ⤵️

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

For how long can Ireland embrace both Boston and Berlin? It’s getting tougher to sell the Irish message of ‘careful now’

A look ahead at a potentially pivotal week for Ireland and the EU's future relationship with the US. Boston or Berlin?

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...