End of the good times for the economy?

TWO reports this week produced jolting reminders that the party may well be over for the Irish economy.

The first warned Irish share prices could take up to 18 months to fully recover the value lost since mid-2007 when British funds turned hostile to Irish banks and the construction industry.

Since then they have been selling in and out of the market causing havoc with the valuations of the Irish banking sector whose worth has been slashed 40% on average from its earlier highs.