Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

Olympic Federation of Ireland President and Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane is among Ireland's top sports administrators. She talks to Ciaran and Michael O'Keeffe of Teneo PSG about her background in sport and law, what is involved in her various roles, the growth of female sport and the fallout for the Olympic movement in Ireland from the arrest of former president Pat Hickey at the Rio games in 2016. Plus, Michael has a roundup of all the latest news from the business of sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we building the wrong houses in the wrong places at the wrong prices? Sherry Fitzgerald chief economist Marian Finnegan and Orla Hegarty, architect and assistant professor at UCD’s School of Architecture, join presenter Cliff Taylor to discuss some troubling trends in the housing sector.Also in this podcast – Irish Times business reporter Fiona Reddan on why Credit Unions across the country are imposing savings caps.Plus: Peter Hamilton has some of the other stories in the news this week including Facebook's crypto currency, Libra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In its latest report the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has described the Government’s medium-term spending plans as “not credible”. The watchdog says there is an over-reliance on corporation tax receipts to cover ‘unplanned’ increases in spending, such as in health. In today’s podcast the chairman of IFAC, Seamus Coffey, explains why the council is so concerned about government spending, why the outlook for the Irish economy is “unusually uncertain” and what the immediate impact of a hard Brexit would be. He also talks about why he believes that IFAC’s warnings are influencing the Government’s handling of the public finances, despite an apparent reluctance to accept the watchdog’s findings.Plus: Peter Hamilton has a roundup of some of the week's other business headlines, including Ryanair's plan to add Malta Air to its expanding group of airlines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to supporting a culture of entrepreneurship, how does Ireland stack up against the global competition? Avolon CEO Dómhnal Slattery set out to find out, and he has compiled his findings in a report titled "Project i". He talks to Ciarán about what's in the report, where Ireland falls short for its start-ups and the role of state agencies like Enterprise Ireland. He also talks about aircraft leasing company Avolon, the future of aircraft in a low-carbon economy and the fate of the grounded Boeing Max fleet.But first Peter Hamilton is back with all the latest business stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can we build a low-carbon economy in Ireland? On Monday business group Ibec launched its €40 billion blueprint, or greenprint, with proposals including increased forest cover, cutting emissions and raising carbon taxes. But is it ambitious enough? To discuss Ciarán is joined by Ibec CEO Danny McCoy, newly-elected Green Party councillor Hazel Chu and Cliff Taylor. But first Peter Hamilton has all the big news including car import woes for Irish sellers, Ireland's position on a US economic watchlist and what's happening at the Quinn Insurance inquiry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week the high-end Dublin restaurant Luna closed after four years in business and just days after winning the Restaurant Association of Ireland’s best customer service award. The closure prompted some of the city’s leading restaurateurs to express concern about how development in the city is being managed, with accusations that things have got out of hand. Are there too many restaurants in Dublin? With already tight margins, has the increased VAT rate pushed the cost of doing business too high? Cliff Taylor is joined by Dublin restaurateur Elaine Murphy, DIT lecturer in culinary arts Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, and Irish Times consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope to discuss. Also this week: Feargal O’Rourke, managing partner of PwC in Ireland, on the global focus on corporate tax and what that means for Ireland.Plus: Peter Hamilton’s roundup of the week’s other news including record-breaking employment figures and the collapse of British Steel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into whether Insurance Ireland is operating a cartel by restricting access to a claims database, almost two years after it raided the body as part of an inquiry into a number of issues in the sector. Conor Faughnan of AA Ireland and Irish Times markets correspondent Joe Brennan join Ciarán to discuss how the investigation could play out.Later: Chief economist at Manulife Investment Management, Megan Greene, and Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times on the latest developments in the US-China trade war and how markets have responded to its ratcheting up in the past week.Plus: Rising rents, hacks at Intel and WhatsApp, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy on the ins and outs of the National Broadband Plan. Is the €3-billion project a misguided expense or a vital infrastructure that must go ahead?Fiona Reddan on Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley's purchase of House of Fraser and how department stores are coping in the era of online shopping.Plus: Peter Hamilton with a roundup of the other stories making the news this week, including Juul Labs's entry to the Irish e-cigarette market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trinity College Dublin is our most prestigious university but the institution has struggled to remain globally competitive. Government funding per third level student has declined steeply since the crash, and Trinity has fallen down the international rankings. So for today's podcast Ciarán Hancock visits the Trinity campus to find out what is being done to replace that lost income and maintain the may services it provides to its students and academic staff? How is Trinity taking advantage of the campus's prime city centre location and its famous tourist attractions like the Book of Kells, and how are commercial concerns balanced against its academic traditions? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

STATSports head of marketing Ian Forrester joins Ciarán and Irish Times business journalist Charlie Taylor to discuss the Newry-based sports tech company's new funding round recently, which saw seven-figure investments by Premier League footballers Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Later: Cliff Taylor on the implications of pressure from public sector unions to end the two-tier pay structure. Plus: Datalex to suspend shares, Dunnes Stores eyes Base Wood Fired Pizza & EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.