The CSO plans to develop a new measure of economic growth which is designed to defuse the “leprechaun economics” jibe Ireland faced when revised GDP figures portrayed the economy surging at a rate of over 26%

IRELAND is more likely to be home to the “Pope’s pensioners” rather than the “Pope’s children” within a few decades, according to new figures which show that people can expect to live 7-10 years more on average.