For the small and very open Irish economy, 2017 set a positive backdrop and one that was reflected in a strong Irish growth performance, writes Jim Power

As we approach Christmas and the end of another year, it is certainly justifiable to look back on the performance of the Irish economy with a certain degree of satisfaction, writes Jim Power.

Advice of expert groups must be heeded as the stakes are very high, says Jim Power

There was considerable and obviously well informed speculation last weekend about a proposal to align regulation between the North and the Republic as a means of avoiding a hard border between both parts of the island, writes Jim Power.

Irish politics has been in a state of flux since the unusual general election of February 2016, writes Jim Power.

The export sector is the lifeblood of the small open Irish economy and if this sector is doing well, then the whole economy tends to do well, writes Jim Power.

Ireland does have a serious housing issue as manifested in a lack of owner-occupier and rental housing, writes Jim Power

We need to spend more money on public services and we need to reform in a serious way the manner in which they are being delivered, writes Jim Power.

Some people might not regard spiralling house prices as a negative development on the basis that higher prices could elicit more second-hand supply from people who have been sitting on properties since the crash and have been waiting for a recovery in prices to sell.

We now have a new Taoiseach and a new top team in place in the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.