Daragh O'Leary

RTÉ Brainstorm

Dr Daragh O'Leary is a research associate in the Cairnes Business School at the University of Galway. His current research looks at the activity of scaling firms. He is an Irish Research Council awardee

'It seems that the Irish Government is forever to be torn between managing the cost of living and the use of excessive Government spending to buy votes.' Photo: Getty Images

Why is the cost of living so high in Ireland?

Increased spending by the Government when the economy is operating near capacity increases the price of goods and services

Cost of Living • 15 Oct 24

Timecheck: "not only are home teams more likely to win late kick-offs, they are also more likely to win them by greater margins." Photo: Getty Images

How kick-off time affects Premier League results

The night owl effect means home teams are nearly 15% more likely to win games with later kick-offs compared to early kick-offs

Soccer • 13 Sep 24

'Early signs on the matter are that both Chambers and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe are not budging on the Government's position of limiting spending.'

Why Apple's €14 billion is bad timing for Govt's budget planning

Public knowledge that Ireland is set to receive a tax windfall will increase pressure to loosen the purse strings in Budget 2025

Budget 2025 • 12 Sep 24

Thousands of fans try to get into the tent to see the Wolfe Tones at the 2023 Electric Picnic. Photo: PR

Are concerts and festivals good for the Irish economy?

It's good news if the event takes place in your town, but the benefits of the bounce are short-term at best

Live Music • 04 Jul 24

VAR checks and disallows a goal by Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool FC at Villa Park on May 13, 2024 in Birmingham, England. Photo: Getty Images

3 tips to improve the use of VAR in the Premier League

Right now VAR isn't viewed as a tool to help officials, but as a way to send refs to the naughty corner

Premier League • 06 Jun 24

'The problem is we're not very good in Ireland at increasing the supply of housing'

Is it possible to make housing in Ireland more affordable?

Right now, the policy focus in this country appears to be on helping people to pay for unaffordable accommodation

Housing • 02 Nov 23

'Research in the area tends to find that greater access to educated employees helps firm performance.

Why we bother funding universities

Universities may not directly improve the performance of the economy, but they improve the skills of the people who do

Education • 06 Oct 23

What measures are we likely to hear when Michael McGrath gets to his feet in the Dáil on October 10th to unveil his first budget as Minister for Finance?

What measures could Michael McGrath take in Budget 2024?

The Government's actions indicate they want to reduce inflation and they can do this by what they put in and leave out of Budget 2024

Budget 2024 • 20 Sep 23

'The additional money in your wages is only of benefit if you can buy more things with it.'

How much is inflation taking from your salary?

Inflation can eat away at our salaries until we're earning double what we used to, but only able to buy half as much

Cost of Living • 11 Sep 23

Price hikes are a common occurrence when big artists come to town. Photo: Getty Images

Accommodation price hikes for gigs - fair or robbery?

There's a logic behind price hikes when big artists come to town, but it should be treated with a degree of scepticism

Economics • 30 Aug 23