Lower growth but no recession says Bank of Ireland, and RTE’s new radio jingles

Bank of Ireland has slashed its growth forecasts for the year as the Iran war puts an “unwelcome squeeze” on household income. But the bank doesn’t think Ireland is heading for recession in its latest economic forecast. Eoin Burke-Kennedy has the details. In the latest in her investment series, Fiona Reddan answers questions from readers with the help of some leading financial experts. 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. Our personal finance Q&A is on a similar theme with a reader questioning why Irish investment fund returns seem to be so low. Dominic Coyle offers a view. ’ RTE Radio 1’s new audio design is bland and inauthentic, writes Hugh Linehan in his media column . Investment in Ireland’s private rental sector, considered a key part of the Government’s housing strategy, seems to be recovering , the head of Dublin estate agent Hooke & MacDonald has said. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports. Irish dairy farmers could see their profit margins shrink by more than 50 per cent this year due to a fall in global milk prices and the input cost shock derived from the US-Israeli war with Iran and its impact on oil prices, a new report has warned. Ian Curran has the details. Over one third of Irish adults have experienced some class of fraud or scam while almost 40 per cent of victims have never reported the crime to a bank or other authority, according to a new report from the Central Bank of Ireland. Conor Pope reports. In Me & My Money , Patrick Rafter, violinist and conductor, explains how it took months of busking at age 12 to pay for first violin, which cost €10,000. Irish consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since December 2022 this month as continuing volatility in the Middle East translated into further increases in retail fuel costs, according to a survey from the Irish League of Credit Unions. Colin Gleeson has the details. Irish banks have work to do on cyber security amid the Mythos threat, writes Cantillon . In a similar vein, Irish financial services firms believe that cyber attacks or system outages represent the biggest threat to their operations in 2026 in the aftermath of several high-profile incidents in recent times. Ian Curran reports on the findings of a new survey on the issue.