Ireland's economic boom has avoided the 'Dutch disease' — IMF

Analysis finds multinationals here have failed to make close connections with domestic firms

An over-reliance on one booming part of a country's economy can stunt the growth of other sectors.

The Irish economy has so far avoided the so-called 'Dutch Disease', where a focus on certain booming sectors like oil and gas can lead to a decline in other sectors, despite the dominant role played by multinationals, research from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found.

However, the IMF analysis found that multinationals have had limited linkages with domestic firms and the indigenous economy may be missing out on an important growth engine.