Irish Examiner View: It's time to jingle all the way

Ireland's retailers and disadvantaged people alike ought to benefit from the nation's record €312.8bn in savings

Analysts project a bumper Christmas season for Ireland's retailers — both bricks-and-mortar and online — but a FLAC analysis has warned that many Irish people will be struggling with household debt. Stock picture

This time last year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was talking about offering a “meaningful Christmas” by allowing inter-county travel and household visits. However, by the end of the year, Covid infections had reached an alarming rate, forcing the nation back into its tightest lockdown regime.

We must not allow that to happen again, even while we are told that retailers are hoping for a bumper Christmas as Irish households amassed billions in savings during the height of the pandemic — even more than during the Celtic Tiger era.