Top Stories

London fund in advanced talks to buy Cork’s largest pub group for €30m

Attestor Capital is close to buying The Rearden's Group in Cork, giving it a strong base in Munster as well as Leinster. The London-based fund, which already owns Dublin's oldest pub, is on the look out to buy even more.

Inside the bank of JP McManus: How Novellus is expanding into Ireland

While the Limerick businessman is in Cheltenham watching his horses run, the UK- and Dublin-based lending arm of his family office is funding more and more property deals all over Ireland.

“Untenable” PTSB boss alone was unaware of bank strategy, inquiry hears

Closing speeches at the Central Bank inquiry against former PTSB chief executive David Guinane focused on what he did or didn't know of an allegedly unfair scheme to deny tracker mortgage customers a lower interest rate.

“I’ll do what I think is the right thing, costly as it may be”: Developer to fight tax battle

Greg Kavanagh says his company Fofo is in a tax dispute with the Revenue Commissioners over expenses claims dating back a decade. After a challenging couple of years, things are going well again, he told The Currency.

“You have to evolve”: Selling olive oil as the world runs out of it

For the past five years, Sarah Merrigan has built a business importing the best Spanish oils to Ireland. But as Irish demand grows and becomes more discerning, climate change has decimated Spanish supply.

Withholding tax win comforts royalty use by multinationals

Royalties are one of the channels multinationals use to funnel billions of euro in profits to Ireland every year. In the fight with market countries for this slice of the cake, Revenue has just lost a battle before the Tax Appeals Commission.

Key Capital’s Conor Killeen: “Very successful people can explain complex products in simple ways”

IDEATE is a unique competition for students who want to be entrepreneurs. Conor Killeen, the chairman of Key Capital, explains why his firm is backing it and how the State could make it easier for young people to become shareholders in Irish companies.

As Ireland takes over Cheltenham again, Britain is looking away

Irish owners and trainers now dominate the UK's top racing festival on a regular basis. But as attendance falls and the sport falters in Britain, will they still have a stage to perform on?

Top Voices

Roll up your sleeves if you don’t want elections like the referendum: Rewinding the week that was

Following the demise of centrist politics in the latest vote, readers of The Currency have the money and power to address the electorate’s frustrations. Will you do it?

The legacy of Charlie Bird to business journalism

The late Charlie Bird broke one of the biggest business stories in decades. The fact he spent six years defending its fallout in the courts at an estimated cost of €4 million says much about the State's real view of journalism.

Looking beyond shamrock season, Sinn Féin moves to active service mode

Stormont is the good news story the US needs right now. But on the way back, Sinn Féin is making personnel changes to prepare for elections in the Republic, Tommie Gorman writes from Washington.

“It wouldn’t be a party without Malachy McCourt”: Remembering the bon vivant New Yorker 

Passing away last week at 92, the Limerick-raised entrepreneur, actor and writer leaves behind a legacy of helter-skelter mischief-making, high wit and a life well lived.

Tech FDI has put us in a tight spot but greater job mobility can get us out of it

Ireland’s FDI policy has been spectacularly successful and we are now firmly tied to American technology. However, more needs to be done if we are become a truly global tech hub.  

Stephen Kinsella: Ireland is years behind other countries on offshore wind. And it’s not catching up

Ireland is surrounded by water and constantly buffeted by winds from one coast or another. Yet, unbelievably, the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta generates a bigger share of its energy from renewable sources. The latest layer of government strategy still falls short.

Sean Keyes on investing: Investments are not numbers on a screen

The UK government thinks directing more personal savings to British assets will lift the British stock market. This is the kind of idea you come up with when you don't realise investments are new things in the real world.

Guided by the precautionary principle, we should slay the bond vigilantes

Just because Ireland missed the opportunity to lock in record low rates before last year doesn't mean it cannot do it at still low rates today. No matter what bond market disciplinarians say, extending the maturity of currently cheap debt for decades remains a desirable insurance policy against uncertainty.