Data centres drive Irish economy and managing the fertility journey at work

Spending on data centre fit-outs is now one of the key drivers of Irish economic growth, AIB says. Eoin Burke-Kennedy says the Republic’s AI-related exports are now growing quickly off a low base, accounting for nearly 13 per cent of all customs goods exports so far in 2026 compared to just 6 per cent in 2025.

In the High Court where it is looking for the legal green light for its planned €1.6 billion takeover by Austria’s Bawag, PTSB attacked the approach of former Bank of Scotland Ireland boss Mark Duffy’s advisory group Axis in trying to disrupt the deal. Stephen Conneely was there.

TikTok’s Irish arm reduced its headcount by more than a fifth last year to around 2,100 staff, while the company’s provisions for legal and regulatory matters rose to $1.03 billion (€923.8 million). Killian Woods runs an eye over the company’s accounts.

Over in the US, the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates on hold days before midterm elections even as the surge in fuel prices sparked by the Iran war reverberates across the world’s biggest economy.

In London, British chancellor John Healey succeeded in keeping skittish bond markets onside with his first budget, but he largely dodged the big fiscal issues facing Britain Inc. Mark Paul reports on the budget and analyses what it means for the broader British political picture.

Back home, Peter McAuley learned that watches are about more than telling the time when he lost one left to him by a much-loved uncle deep beneath the waters of a Fermanagh lake during a day’s kayaking. Mark Hennessy was to hand as Nomadic Watches, the Belfast watchmaker run by McAuley and his wife, Jane, won the €150,000 gold award in this year’s North-South Business Cooperation Awards run by Greek-Cypriot billionaire, Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

In the Workplace Relations Commission, a bridesmaid-to-be said she had a panic attack at work when her employer told her she would face a disciplinary meeting amid a row over taking annual leave for her sister’s wedding.

And in the courts, two brothers who have built a very successful construction business over the past 33 years were at loggerheads over plans to appoint a new director to their business.

What happens when one of the most personal, intimate things you might experience – a fertility challenge – collides head-on with your career? Increasingly, organisations are offering employee benefits such as financial assistance with fertility treatment and egg freezing but, culturally and behaviourally, they are lagging behind in supporting workers who choose these options, writes Margaret Ward.

In our Ask the Lawyer column, a reader who has been hosting a Ukrainian family in her holiday home under the Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme wants to allow them stay as that process winds down. But will it leave her with more than she bargains for?

Emmet Ryan’s column looks at the rapid roll-out of internet access across airlines in Europe. All told, he says, it’s a positive move. Do you agree?

And in our Inside Business podcast, Ciarán Hancock talks to Vincent Cleary, co-owner of Offaly-based organic yoghurt maker Glenisk about the business set up by their father which burned to the ground in 2021. Vincent explains how it has bounced back from that devastating moment.

Finally, James Foskin who left school at 17 before a very successful career with Paypal, has developed an app to free up time for hard-pressed parents, co-ordinating family events, appointments, calendars and support systems in one place. He spoke to Olive Keogh about TiAiMe.

If you’d like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money, the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.