Ireland is at risk of repeating the mistakes of the past, warns Higgins

Ireland risks "drifting" back to an economic system which will "just repeat all the mistakes" of the past because alternatives are not being considered, President Michael D Higgins yesterday warned.

Speaking at the launch of a St Vincent de Paul report on how the recession has hit one-parent families, the head of State said after half a decade of a crash, the country is set for a period offering both “risk and opportunity”.

However, despite the opportunity of learning from past mistakes, President Higgins said there is evidence that the structures which allowed the worst excesses of the boom and bust years to occur are taking hold again.