Martin Shanahan: Ireland’s economy is strong, but we need to focus on next level of ambition

After the financial crisis, uncertainty slowed investment and delayed essential infrastructure. The result was a decade of catch-up. The risk now is falling into the same pattern: clearing backlogs while neglecting what the next decade demands

Too many essential projects in housing, energy and infrastructure have become symbols of delay rather than progress. File picture

During the maelstrom of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as official Ireland tuned into daily press conferences and shifting signals from Washington amid a broader landscape of geopolitical disruption, many would have taken 2025’s economic results without hesitation.

Growth, exports and employment all outperformed the mood music of those early weeks. The worst outcomes many feared in the early days of 2025 have not materialised.