We cannot afford to be overly pessimistic as we venture into 2017

Over the holiday period, I met a retired businessman who asked me, in a very concerned way, about the possibilities for the Irish economy over the coming year.

As an eternal optimist, I offered the opinion that the prospects look pretty good, notwithstanding the obvious caveats concerning Brexit, Donald Trump, and an increasingly menacing global geo-political backdrop.

Ireland is doing well at the moment and 2016 was a relatively good year.