Donal O’Donovan: Only in Ireland could data show we’re simultaneously in a boom and a recession – what’s really going on? Sometimes you must look past the quirks of the figures to see the real picturePharma giants play an important role the Irish economy. Stock image. Photo: GettyDonal O'Donovan Today at 06:30Ireland’s maddeningly hard-to-credit economic data has done it again. The Irish economy grew faster than anywhere else in Europe last year, but we ended 2025 in a technical recession.

Source: Irish Independent January 30, 2026 11:33 UTC