David Murphy

‘When death is about to happen/
does the body grow heavier or lighter?/
He felt himself growing heavier./
He felt himself growing lighter./
When a man says he hears angels singing,/
he hears angels singing.’ From Blake Dying by
Mary Oliver #poet and essayist - #read her

Cost-of-living packages the norm, cutting them is hard The Government is adamant that there won't be any cost-of-living measures in the Budget to be announced on 7 October, but that may be difficult to deliver as food prices rise.

One off cost-of-living supports are now the norm. Cutting them in the Budget won’t be easy. Analysis: www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

We must look honestly at the data on housing and migration Immigrants increase demand for housing, sometimes driving prices up — but they also play a key role in supply

Ive a piece in the Examiner today on migration, house prices and supply @davidmurphyrte.bsky.social @bryanfanning.bsky.social

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Interest paid on Ireland's borrowings to rise - report The amount the State pays in interest on the country's borrowings is going to rise in the coming years, a new report from the Department of Finance has warned.

Interest bill on Ireland’s €218 billion debt set to rise. www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Reducing immigration unlikely to help housing crisis The bedrock of any Government's planning is demographics and the number of people living in a country and a reliable forecast for population growth are vital.

The population is growing faster than expected, partly driven by immigration. But reducing growth in immigration won’t necessarily help the housing crisis. Analysis www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Inside Ireland's multibillion euro infrastructure plan The National Development Plan is the Government's scheme to build infrastructure for the coming years. With the Coalition reviewing spending, RTÉ Economics and Public Affairs Editor David Murphy answe...

Inside Ireland’s multibillion euro infrastructure plan www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Why new homes may not get planning in Dublin after 2028 "The chain is only as strong as its weakest link." Eighteenth century philosopher Thomas Reid's quote could be applied to building houses in Dublin. That weak link is water.

Why new homes may not get planning permission in Dublin after 2028 despite the housing crisis. Analysis: www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Central Bank lowers housing and growth forecasts The Central Bank is revising downwards its forecast for how many homes will be built this year and over the following two years.

Govt to miss housing targets in 2025, 2026 & 2027, Central Bank forecast shows. www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

How much did the bank bailout cost taxpayers? The taxpayer put a total of €64.1 billion into the Irish banks during the financial crisis. The key question in 2025 is how much of that has been recovered 17 years after the financial meltdown, write...

How much did the bank bailout cost the taxpayers? www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Did Ireland's 'bad bank' NAMA work? At the height of the financial crisis in 2009 Ireland set up the National Asset Management Agency, better known as NAMA.

Did Nama work? Analysis: www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Why the Government has little choice on rent cap reform The Government has little choice about reforming the existing rent caps if it wants to attract badly needed investment back to the market to increase the supply of new homes, but the challenge is that...

Why the Government has little choice on rent cap reform www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Are the latest economic figures a return of Leprechaun Economics ? Analysis here: www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Consortium proposes to buy Dalata for €1.3 billion A consortium consisting of property owners Pandox and Eiendomsspar have proposed to buy Ireland's largest hotel group Dalata Hotel Group in a €1.3 billion deal.

Takeover offer of €1.3bn for Dalata hotel group. www.rte.ie/news/busines...

3 crucial issues facing the Government on housing In a week when the minister responsible for housing admitted that meeting the Government's own target for the delivery of new housing this year would be "extremely challenging", RTÉ's Economics and Pu...

The Govt is struggling to make progress on housing. Here are three of the big issue it faces: www.rte.ie/news/2025/06...

Fergal O'Brien named RTÉ's new Business Correspondent RTÉ News has appointed Fergal O'Brien as its new Business Correspondent.

RTÉ News has appointed Fergal O'Brien as its new Business Correspondent www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Housing czar must be 'forthright', minister says Minister for Housing James Browne has said anyone who is appointed to run the Housing Activation Office will have to be "forthright about any conflicts of interest".

Minister for Housing James Browne has said anyone who is appointed to run the Housing Activation Office will have to be "forthright about any conflicts of interest"

Coalition botches top role as it grapples with housing Minister for Housing James Browne faces a monumental task, after a dreadful year for housing in 2024, when the Government missed its target for residential construction.

The row over the botched appointment of NAMA boss Brendan McDonagh will be short-lived unlike the housing crisis. Analysis : www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Tech firms pivot to defence in neutral Ireland as EU re-arms [FREE TO READ] Radar, AI and subsea surveillance are big growth areas for security technology with dual uses

on.ft.com/3EQK3JT

4 myths about Trump's tariffs and how they affect Ireland RTÉ's Economics and Public Affairs Editor David Murphy examines some of the key issues around how US President Donald Trump's trade policies could play out.

4 myths about Trump's tariffs and how they affect Ireland: 1) Ireland “took our” pharma. Not quite true. 2) Tariffs “pause” isn’t really a pause 3) Truth about moving chip manufacturing to US 4) Trump’s says tariffs are “going very well”. www.rte.ie/news/clarity...

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tells ABC News tariff exemption for phones, chips and computers is temporary. He says they, along with pharma, will be subject to sector specific tariffs next month. He adds this will be separate to reciprocal tariffs and nonnegotiable.

Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers says date for implementation of pension auto enrollment likely to be delayed for a “short number of months”. @news.rte.ie

Constructive phone call discussion with Premier Li Qiang.

We took stock of the state of EU-China relations as we approach 50 years of diplomatic ties and on global issues.

Read-out ↓
europa.eu/!FtFk49

Plenty of Bronte chat with biographer Claire Harman (right) at Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Great readings including from Jane Eyre from actor Ruby Campbell (left).

Pharma gets a reprieve amid tariffs but not for long There have been some suggestions that the big pharma companies may have "got to" Donald Trump and warned him of the potential downsides of hitting drug manufactures with tariffs, writes David Murphy.

Overnight comments from Donald Trump overnight suggest pharma reprieve won’t last long. #Tariff analysis here: www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

US tariff move is first round in trade war with EU US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 20% tariff on imports from the European Union, including Ireland, has huge consequences.

Latest tariffs analysis here: www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

Economic skies darken as Trump prepares pharma tariffs While the focus of attention on the latest tariff announcement from US President Donald Trump has been on car-manufacturing, his unambiguous confirmation of import taxes on pharmaceuticals are causing...

As the Trump administration prepares tariffs on the pharma industry the Irish Government is beginning to prepare the public for the consequences. Analysis: www.rte.ie/news/busines...

I wrote up some of my stuff on interest rates, the RPZs and build to rent supply for RTE Brainstorm. Just out this morning @davidmurphyrte.bsky.social

US tariffs could hit employment in Ireland, report warns US tariffs could hit employment in Ireland, result in multinationals relocating and damage the public finances, according to a new study.

US tariffs could hit employment in Ireland, result in multinationals relocating and damage the public finances, according to a new study. The working paper by the ESRI & Dept of Finance found the domestic economy could contract by 2% over the next 5 to 7 years. www.rte.ie/news/busines...

There was an 81% surge in Irish exports to the US in January compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Office.
show.https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2025/0318/1502671-cso-export-figures/

This Week - RTÉ Radio 1 News and analysis every Sunday from Ireland's longest-running radio news programme. Presented by Justin McCarthy

I’ll be on @rteradio1.bsky.social ‘This Week’ tomorrow after 1pm talking about apartment building www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...