Irish Life assurance was born in 1939, when the economy turned and put a hole in the balance sheet of Irish assurance companies.

Seven insurance companies – including UK giants Aviva and Royal Sun Alliance - are under investigation after the UK's consumer watchdog raised concerns over the use of industry software which could lead to illegal price co-ordination.

COUPLES are having smaller families but are spending more on nursery equipment than their parents did in the 60s and 70s, according to research by Babylo, an Irish nursery equipment company.