All entries related to Ireland, newest first. tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:en:en/countries/ireland 2026-10-31T06:00:00Z Eurotrack tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:a667f4d1:en 2026-10-31T06:00:00Z

Iarnród Éireann is reinstating the 42 km Limerick–Foynes freight line at a cost of EUR 151.5 million: track laying has been finished since 2025, signalling, telecoms and the refurbishment of Foynes station are still under way, 13 level crossings get CCTV, and the connection to the network at Limerick is being built. According to the report of 12 May 2026, completion is planned for October 2026, followed by driver training, with the first freight trains expected in early 2027. In parallel, construction has begun on a temporary station at Adare (one platform and an outdoor hall, about six months of work) to serve Ryder Cup spectators in September 2027. The date is a placeholder: the article names only the month of October 2026, so 31 October 2026 is used. (LOK Report, 12 May 2026) — Source: https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/irland-strecke-limerick-foynes-baustart-fuer-den-provisorischen-bahnhof-in-adare-zum-ryder-cup.html

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:02d09dfc:en 2026-10-23T06:00:00Z

Lidl is putting €420m into Munster, including €200m for a new regional distribution centre at Little Island near Cork, 14 new stores and the redevelopment of 10 existing ones. More than 500 permanent jobs (250 of them in Cork) and over 4,500 construction jobs are expected; the package is part of Lidl Ireland's €600m five-year programme (RTÉ, 23 Oct 2026). — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/1023/1596554-lidl-announces-420m-investment-for-munster/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:f40803e1:en 2026-10-22T06:00:00Z

The Advocate General regards the levy as an urgent, temporary and proportionate emergency measure that the Council could adopt by qualified majority under Article 122 TFEU, and finds no breach of legal certainty, property rights or freedom to conduct a business. Member states could extend the levy to other firms with exceptional profits as long as the overall burden and aims stayed equivalent (EFE via swissinfo, 22 Oct 2026; second source: LegalToday, 23 Oct 2026). — Sources: https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/abogado-ue-avala-el-impuesto-temporal-a-energ%C3%A9ticas-adoptado-en-crisis-energ%C3%A9tica-de-2022/92256894 · https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/noticias-de-derecho/el-abogado-general-de-la-ue-avala-impuesto-a-los-beneficios-extra-de-las-energeticas-de-la-crisis-de-2022-2026-10-23/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:d7e8ef61:en 2026-10-21T06:00:00Z

Parc Bidco, the acquisition vehicle of Norwegian leisure operator Activeon, signed the agreement to buy Funky Monkeys Playcentres (Airtastic) on 21 Oct 2026; Airtastic is a multi-activity group with sites in Ireland and Northern Ireland and an adjusted EBITDA of about €5.1m. To part-finance the deal Parc Bidco is exploring a tap issue of up to €24.9m on its bonds (€125m currently outstanding); the filing does not state the purchase price. Combined, the two would have pro forma revenue of €188.7m and adjusted EBITDA of €46.4m (Parc Bidco, stock exchange notice, 21 Oct 2026). — Source: https://newsweb.oslobors.no/message/684498

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:a2d9344a:en 2026-10-20T06:00:00Z

Live-commerce platform Whatnot is expanding its European headquarters in Dublin and aims to lift its Irish headcount from 130 to close to 300 within 18 months. Roles span engineering, AI, operations, strategy, and trust and safety, with most hiring happening in Dublin according to co-founder Grant LaFontaine. The company gives no fixed number of new jobs and no investment sum (Irish Times, 20 Oct 2026). — Source: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/10/20/live-commerce-platform-whatnot-to-double-irish-workforce-in-18-months/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:28dff368:en 2026-10-20T06:00:00Z

Gambling group Flutter announced on 20 October 2026 plans to cut up to 1,400 jobs in its UK and Ireland business, mainly in Leeds and Dublin (240 roles at the Clonskeagh headquarters, with voluntary redundancy offered) plus hubs in Porto and Cluj-Napoca. The company blames higher UK taxes on online casino and sports betting, which it says it cannot fully absorb; which functions are affected has not been disclosed (BBC, 20 Oct 2026; second source: RTÉ, 20 Oct 2026). Update (25 Oct 2026): The programme includes closing Sky Bet's headquarters, relocated from the UK to Malta in November 2025 (the Maltese entity SBG Sports Limited is to be wound down): about 50 jobs in Malta are affected and the remaining staff are expected to move to Gibraltar; the figure of 1,400 is unchanged and the Maltese jobs are not counted on top (iGamingCapital, 22 Oct 2026; Casino Guardian, 21 Oct 2026). — Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqzrdpkm3g84o · https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/1020/1596128-flutter-job-cuts/ · https://igamingcapital.mt/flutter-reverse-sky-bets-malta-move-less-than-a-year-later/ · https://www.casinoguardian.co.uk/2026/10/21/flutter-announces-sky-bet-malta-office-shutdown-amid-strategic-shift/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:772f5dd2:en 2026-10-14T06:00:00Z

US group Daktronics is withdrawing from its rail, bus and roadway display and control systems business outside North America and is therefore closing its Irish plant in Ennistymon. More than 100 employees are affected (116 in the latest accounts to April 2025); the exit is phased, to about mid-2028 according to the Irish Times. The company expects one-off costs of about US$13.5m and annual savings of about US$7.7m; a redundancy consultation had been running since early September (Irish Times, 14 Oct 2026; second source: RTÉ, 14 Oct 2026). — Sources: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/10/14/daktronics-to-close-clare-facility-with-the-loss-of-over-100-jobs/ · https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/1014/1595396-daktronics-ennistymon/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:40cce0f4:en 2026-10-08T06:00:00Z

The European Commission fined Irish insulation maker Kingspan €40m because, at least negligently, it supplied incorrect or misleading information during the review of its 2021 plan to buy Slovenian panel maker Trimo, including on market penetration rates, the availability of bidding data, the role of board members and R&D for mineral fibre sandwich panels. The probe had been running since November 2022; of the six objections in the March 2024 Statement of Objections, the Commission dropped two. Kingspan ultimately abandoned the acquisition (European Commission, 8 Oct 2026). — Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_2084

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:abc1971a:en 2026-10-06T06:00:00Z

Finance Minister Simon Harris and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers presented Budget 2027 on 06.10.2026: according to RTÉ the package totals €8.65bn (Irish Times: €8.5bn), with €7bn for additional spending and €1.65bn for tax cuts. The income threshold at which the 40% rate applies rises by €2,500 to €46,500, the minimum wage to €14.94 an hour and weekly social welfare payments by €10; the opposition says the relief falls short (RTÉ, 06.10.2026; second source: Irish Times, 06.10.2026). — Sources: https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/1006/1594297-at-a-glance-key-points-from-budget-2027/ · https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2026/10/06/budget-ireland-2027-main-points/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:08ff4442:en 2026-09-16T06:00:00Z

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien obtained cabinet approval on 16 September 2026 for MetroLink to move into the detailed tender phase, in which bids are sought and partners are chosen to build and run the 19 km driverless, largely underground metro from Estuary/Swords to Charlemont; it is designed for up to 20,000 passengers per direction per hour. The detailed business case puts the cost at EUR 14.44 to 17.49 billion (mean EUR 15.75 billion), and first works on site are due to start in early 2027. Earlier, the planning commission An Coimisiún Pleanála had granted the railway order, according to the report of 6 October 2025 (the government had allocated EUR 2 billion for the start of construction), and, according to the report of 7 October 2025, TII sounded out the market on the M500 DBFOM contract through an EU prior information notice (estimated value EUR 9.5 billion, at least 22.5 years of operation and maintenance). (LOK Report, 6 Oct 2025, 7 Oct 2025 and 24 Sep 2026; second source: gov.ie (Department of Transport), 16 Sep 2026) — Sources: https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/irland-regierung-genehmigt-den-uebergang-von-metrolink-dublin-in-die-detaillierte-ausschreibungsphase-an-r-redaktion-lok-report-de-cc-lr-lueders-ruediger.html · https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/61951-irland-verkehrsminister-und-regierungsbehoerden-begruessen-metrolink-eisenbahnverordnung.html · https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/62023-irland-tii-veroeffentlich-vorinformation-fuer-eine-markterkundung-zum-dbfom-vertrag-fuer-das-projekt-metrolink.html · https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/press-releases/government-approves-metrolink-to-proceed-to-detailed-tender-stage/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:38e6a4f1:en 2026-09-16T06:00:00Z

Publisher Reach (Daily Mirror, Daily Express and regional titles such as the Manchester Evening News) plans to cut about 220 full-time editorial posts in the UK and Ireland while creating roughly 60 new roles in video and subscriptions, a net loss of around 160. The AberdeenLive, KentLive and GalwayBeo (Ireland) sites will close; Reach attributes the move to falling traffic caused by AI overviews and Google algorithm changes. The journalists' union NUJ strongly criticised the cuts (TheJournal.ie, 16.09.2026). — Source: https://www.thejournal.ie/galwaybeo-layoffs-7164491-Sep2026/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:df8029e3:en 2026-08-31T06:00:00Z

PayPal notified Ireland's Department of Enterprise of collective redundancies on 28 August 2026 and confirmed publicly on 31 August 2026 that it will cut 164 jobs in Ireland (about 11.9% of its 1,380 full-time Irish staff) to 'simplify' the organisation. The redundancies are expected to take effect between 7 and 21 October 2026 (TheJournal.ie, 31 August 2026). — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0831/1589876-paypal-jobs/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:fb6289a2:en 2026-08-28T06:00:00Z

SoftBank-backed Irish vehicle-connectivity company Cubic3 told around 160 staff on 28 August 2026 that their jobs were at risk; specifically 70 of its roughly 450 global roles will go, 52 of them in Dublin. The company cited financial competitive pressure and, to a lesser extent, increased AI use; the redundancies are compulsory, with notices expected on 21 September 2026 (Silicon Republic, 28 August 2026). — Source: https://www.businesspost.ie/tech/softbank-backed-cubic3-to-axe-70-jobs-most-of-them-in-dublin/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:1bb46286:en 2026-08-11T06:00:00Z

Hospitality and events venue House Limerick on Howley's Quay is closing after almost ten years in business; staff were informed on Tuesday 11 August 2026. Fifty-nine full- and part-time employees are affected. Advisory firm Interpath had been appointed joint receiver on 2 December 2025; the property and the business were subsequently sold to Tribeca Holdings, a London-based company owned by Limerick businessman Aidan Brooks. The new owner is not continuing the operation in its existing form. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2026/0811/1587421-house-limerick-closes/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:2b20d97a:en 2026-08-10T06:00:00Z

New York-listed critical data centre infrastructure manufacturer Vertiv (headquartered in Westerville, Ohio) announced on 10 August 2026 that it will expand its Letterkenny plant by an additional 7,000 square metres, for which an application is to be filed with Donegal County Council. The expansion is set to create 300 jobs in Ireland's northwest, mostly engineering and operational roles. The company cites growing demand for infrastructure supporting AI, colocation and hyperscale data centre deployments. Vertiv says it has hired more than 500 staff across its Irish sites since the start of 2026 and continues to recruit; besides Letterkenny it operates facilities in Burnfoot (Donegal), Campsie (County Derry), Limerick and Dublin. The project is backed by the state through inward investment agency IDA Ireland. No investment figure was disclosed. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0810/1587226-vertiv-jobs/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:57cc3f7e:en 2026-08-10T06:00:00Z

Swedish polymer and components group Nolato is acquiring Irish electronics company M&M Qualtech, with estimated annual revenue of around SEK 385m and about 200 employees, to strengthen its position in medtech, industrial and defence markets. No purchase price was disclosed. The source gives the start of consolidation only as "from September", without naming a year. — Source: https://www.privataaffarer.se/placeringar/aktier/nolato-koper-irlandskt-bolag/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:a98fc4bb:en 2026-08-08T06:00:00Z

Ireland's state standards body NSAI is closing its medical device testing and certification division, with up to 20 staff to be made redundant. According to the Department of Enterprise the board took the closure decision on 30 July 2026; the union Unite was only informed at the end of the following week. The announcement landed in the middle of an industrial dispute: staff in the section were already working to rule over a previously planned compulsory redundancy of one clinician. Unite considers the use of compulsory redundancy by a public sector employer unprecedented in recent times and points to already heavily reduced staffing that had created a backlog of work. Talks between the authority's management and the union were expected the following week. Update (31.08.2026): According to a regulatory services firm, NSAI plans to transfer its medical devices unit to an established testing, inspection and certification organisation rather than simply wind it down; no buyer has been named (Advena, 31.08.2026: https://www.advenaltd.eu/2026/08/nsai-to-withdraw-from-medical-device-certifications/). — Source: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2026/08/08/national-standards-authority-of-ireland-plans-up-to-20-redundancies/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:c9f15a18:en 2026-08-05T06:00:00Z

Applegreen is investing €15m in a new service area at Junction 9 of the M7 near Naas, County Kildare, comprising a forecourt, an M&S Food, the Republic of Ireland's first Popeyes drive-thru, a Taco Bell and eight ultra-fast chargers with 16 charging points. The project creates 150 jobs and forms part of a group investment programme of around €1bn across Ireland, Britain and the United States. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0805/1586543-applegreen-to-create-150-naas-jobs/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:78c1e0be:en 2026-07-28T06:00:00Z

An update to the investigation recorded on 16 July 2026: the Department of Enterprise report concludes there is neither enough evidence to establish that Irish alumina ends up in Russian military equipment nor enough evidence to rule it out. The government is therefore taking no immediate action, but reserves the right to prosecute under new statutory powers should credible information about sanctions breaches emerge (reported by the Irish Times, 28 July 2026). Update (02.10.2026): according to the Irish Times, the European Commission is still considering sanctions on the plant's exports; talks on the next Russia sanctions package are due to start shortly, with implementation aimed for before winter, and some member states intend to push for a ban on exports of Irish alumina to Russia. The latest trade data show 422,474 t of alumina worth €119.5m (an average of 70,412 t a month) shipped to Russia; Aughinish has meanwhile stepped up its lobbying of the government and Irish MEPs (reported by the Irish Times, 02.10.2026). — Sources: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/07/28/aughinish-alumina-will-have-to-prove-its-products-are-not-supplying-russias-army/ · https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/10/02/aughinish-steps-up-lobbying-campaign-as-european-commission-considers-sanctions/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:4397fe54:en 2026-07-27T06:00:00Z

What was reported speculation on 15 July has become a firm offer: shortly before the expiry of the put-up-or-shut-up deadline extended by the UK Takeover Panel, the DCC board unanimously recommended the improved offer from the Energy Capital Partners / KKR consortium on 27 July 2026 (RNS 'RECOMMENDED ACQUISITION OF DCC ENERGY PLC'). The terms are 6,525 pence in cash per share plus a final dividend of 147.22 pence, plus up to a further 125 pence contingent on the proceeds from the sale of the technology division — up to 6,797.22 pence per share in total, or around £5.8 billion. The shareholder meeting is scheduled for September 2026 and the scheme is expected to become effective in the first quarter of 2027. — Source: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/dcc-energy-accepts-improved-5-070100298.html

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:a5166fc3:en 2026-07-24T06:00:00Z

On 24 July 2026 Iarnród Éireann announced the 'FourNorth' programme: Ireland's busiest rail corridor between Dublin Connolly and Malahide is to be widened from two to four tracks to create capacity for DART, Northern Commuter, Belfast Enterprise and freight services. Additional tracks alongside the existing twin-track railway are planned, together with passing loops and turnback facilities at Mosney, Skerries, Malahide and Clongriffin. The scheme is at an early options and design stage; an emerging preferred option is to go to public consultation in late 2026. Planning is jointly funded by the Department of Transport and the EU's Connecting Europe Facility. Cost figures diverge (see investment volume); Iarnród Éireann itself gave no number. — Source: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/iarnrod-eireann-launches-fournorth-to-expand-northside

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:73021860:en 2026-07-24T06:00:00Z

A management buyout team led by ICG chief executive Eamonn Rothwell (together with David Ledwidge, Andrew Sheen and Declan Freeman, holding around 23.7% of the shares between them) tabled a recommended cash offer of €8.00 per share for Irish Continental Group (Irish Ferries) on 24 July 2026 through the vehicle Bluefin Bidco — a premium of 28.2% to the closing price of €6.24 on 24 July. Equity value is around €1.2bn and enterprise value around €1.47bn; Rothwell realises €90.0m in cash on roughly one third of the team's holding, with the remainder rolled into the acquisition structure. According to the offer document the deal is financed with significant preferred equity capital and third-party bank debt; the Irish Times names BlackRock Global Infrastructure Partners as the equity backer. It is Rothwell's second run at a buyout after a failed attempt some two decades ago. Second source: GlobeNewswire publication of the Rule 2.5 announcement. Update (5 August 2026): Bluefin Bidco published and dispatched the Scheme Document to ICG shareholders on 5 August 2026. The two scheme meetings and the extraordinary general meeting are set for 28 August 2026 (voting record date: 24 August 2026); court sanction of the scheme is expected in October 2026 and completion still in the fourth quarter of 2026. Update (24 Oct 2026): Ireland's High Court has listed the hearing to sanction the scheme for 11:00 GMT on 10 Nov 2026; on 2 Oct 2026 the UK Secretary of State also confirmed no further action under the NSI Act, so that condition is satisfied (ICG announcement via Taiwan News, 6 Oct 2026). — Sources: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/07/24/icg-chief-eamonn-rothwell-leads-12bn-buyout-bid-almost-two-decades-after-failed-attempt/ · https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/6452441

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:49147087:en 2026-07-24T06:00:00Z

British asset-hire group Dawsongroup is acquiring Dan Ryan Truck Rental, Ireland's longest-running truck and van rental company. Dan Ryan posted revenue of €23.14m and pre-tax profit of €1.3m in the 15 months to December 2024 and employs 34 people; the brand and management team stay in place. Dawsongroup (2024: £407.4m revenue, £66.2m pre-tax profit) was itself acquired by US investment firm KKR the previous year. The purchase price was not disclosed. — Source: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/07/24/longest-running-irish-truck-rental-company-acquired-by-uk-asset-firm/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:411a68e2:en 2026-07-24T06:00:00Z

On 24 July 2026 the Irish government designated the first nine schemes as critical infrastructure under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026: MetroLink (Dublin), Cork Area Commuter Rail, the Galway City Ring Road, a water supply project for the east and midlands, Greater Dublin Drainage, the Bunlicky wastewater treatment plant and three electricity grid projects. The designation is intended to run consent steps in parallel and cut procedural timelines substantially without relaxing environmental requirements. Minister Jack Chambers is responsible. — Source: https://irishbuildingmagazine.ie/2026/07/24/government-designates-first-tranche-of-critical-infrastructure-projects/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:11432a94:en 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z

DPD Ireland is investing €10 million in a second Dublin distribution hub at Gateway Logistics Park (Naas Road), featuring 270 autonomous sorting robots and capacity for up to 10,000 parcels per hour. Around 200 new jobs in operations, delivery and administration; full operation is planned for October 2026. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0716/1583612-dpd-invest-10m-in-new-facility/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:f60788a6:en 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z

UK insurance and financial services group Howden is acquiring Limerick-based advisory firm Thomond Asset Management (trading name of Folk Asset Management Ltd.), which specialises in financial planning, pensions, investments and estate planning. Nine advisers move to Howden; following Maven Financial Planning (April) and Opes Wealth Trust (May), this is the group's third Irish financial-advisory acquisition of 2026 and its first location in Limerick, taking the Irish financial advisory team past 80 people. No price was disclosed; the deal is subject to approval by the Central Bank of Ireland. — Source: https://www.howdengroup.com/ie-en/howden-acquires-thomond-asset-management

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:7918b85b:en 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z

The scheme is designed to counter carbon leakage and safeguard the competitiveness of electricity-intensive Irish industry, while tying the relief to decarbonisation investments (second source: Solar Quarter, 17 July). — Source: https://europeansting.com/2026/07/16/commission-approves-e300-million-irish-state-aid-scheme-for-temporary-electricity-price-relief-for-energy-intensive-companies/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:666d79f9:en 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z

On 16 July RTE reported that Ireland's Department of Enterprise is investigating whether products of the Rusal-operated (EN+ Group/Deripaska) Aughinish alumina refinery in west Limerick reach Russian military equipment. The plant has around 430 direct employees, contributes some €140 million in annual gross value added according to the Limerick Chamber and spends nearly €700 million on operations; around 60% of Shannon Estuary cargo relates to it (reported; second source: RTE analysis, 18 July). Follow-up (21 July 2026): according to the Irish Times, the investigation report is complete apart from a final legal review and is to be transmitted to the European Commission the following week; the government will not publish the full report citing 'commercial sensitivity' and instead plans a summary statement by the enterprise ministry. Update (24/25 July 2026): The report has been completed and forwarded to the European Commission. Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said, according to RTE, that there were 'no adverse findings' — although substantial data gaps (no verifiable internal trading data from Russia) prevent independent confirmation of whether Aughinish alumina feeds into Russian weapons production. The Irish Times, citing the still-unpublished draft report, says alumina exports to Russia have risen significantly since 2020 and more sharply since 2022: in the first quarter of 2026, 50.25% of exports went to Russia and 39.22% to the EU (2025: 43% to Russia). European customers in the Netherlands, Norway and France are said to have cancelled orders over reputational risk, and complex corporate structures via Cyprus and the Middle East raise sanctions-circumvention questions (Irish Times reporting). The next move rests with the European Commission. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0715/1583403-aughinish-limerick/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:9857acf3:en 2026-07-16T06:00:00Z

Aer Lingus plans to cut up to 500 jobs (290 head-office roles, 140 cabin crew, 70 pilots) — about 7.7% of its roughly 6,500 employees — and reduce flight capacity by 6%. The move follows a €103m quarterly loss, higher fuel costs and tougher transatlantic competition; the Dublin routes to Denver, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Split will be axed and Frankfurt becomes seasonal. Implementation runs from late September 2026 to summer 2027; unions have vowed to resist compulsory redundancies (second source: RTE). Update (11 Aug 2026): The European Works Council of parent company IAG is demanding that the consultation process at Aer Lingus be paused immediately until the group has met its own information and consultation obligations towards the body. Aer Lingus rejects any such obligation, arguing the measures are not transnational because they affect only Ireland-based staff. The airline needs to raise its operating margin from around 11% to between 12% and 15% to secure further IAG investment in new aircraft. Source: The Irish Times, 11 Aug 2026. Update (26.09.2026): Aer Lingus is offering office staff redundancy payments of up to €180,000 (The Irish Times, 26.09.2026). — Sources: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/07/16/aer-lingus-to-cut-up-to-500-jobs/ · https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/09/26/aer-lingus-to-offer-up-to-180000-redundancy-to-office-staff/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:05f6704b:en 2026-07-15T06:00:00Z

Irish, London-listed energy distributor DCC is reportedly close to accepting the £5.7bn bid from KKR and Energy Capital Partners. The put-up-or-shut-up deadline expired on 15 July and was extended overnight by the Takeover Panel. Major shareholders including Fidelity consider the price too low — reported stage, no firm offer yet. Second source: Irish Times. Update 16.07: after several short extensions the Takeover Panel extended the PUSU deadline to 27 July; the consortium raised its proposal to £67.97 per share (approx. £5.8bn) with a possible increase of up to £106.8m if DCC's technology division sells for more than $800m (sources: Irish Times, Business Post). Update (18 Sep 2026): At the extraordinary general meeting on 18 September 2026, 78.1% of shareholders backed the takeover. Subject to the remaining conditions and sanction of the scheme by the Irish High Court, DCC continues to expect completion in the first quarter of 2027; RTÉ puts the transaction at up to €6.69bn (£5.73bn) (RTÉ, 18 Sep 2026). — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0715/1583414-dcc/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:72ecf166:en 2026-07-15T06:00:00Z

Payments firm Stripe (founded by the Irish Collison brothers, dual HQ San Francisco/Dublin) and Advent International reportedly offered $60.50 per share (a 28% premium) for PayPal, per Reuters/CNBC; PayPal stock jumped 17-19%. About $50bn in bank financing is committed; PayPal's board meets from 20 July. Reported stage; second source: CoinDesk. Update 17 July: PayPal's board deems the offer inadequate, per RTE, but leaves the door open to renegotiating price and structure; quarterly results due 28 July. Follow-up: on 20 July 2026 PayPal's board formally rejected the $53bn offer ($60.50 per share) as inadequate and signalled it expects a higher price; Goldman Sachs and Evercore were mandated to review strategic options (per media reports). Outcome (28 August 2026): Stripe and Advent International definitively abandoned their pursuit of PayPal on 28 August 2026. Reported reasons include the valuation ($53bn / $60.50 per share) being seen as too low by PayPal, regulatory hurdles, and financing costs; PayPal never formally responded to the offer. (source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0828/1589524-stripe-advent-consortium-said-to-drop-pursuit-of-paypal/) — Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/15/stripe-advent-offer-to-buy-paypal-for-more-than-53-billion-reuters.html

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:1e16a9b6:en 2026-07-15T06:00:00Z

Bulgaria's competition commission KZK conditionally cleared the acquisition of confectionery maker Prestige-96 (brands Naya, Hyper, Mirage, Roden kraj) by Ireland's Valeo Foods Group on 15 July: for three years, Valeo may not tie the supply of Prestige product lines to purchases of other group products. The deal, announced in March 2026, can now proceed to completion. Second source: SeeNews. — Source: https://www.investor.bg/a/524-industriya/433606-kzk-odobri-pod-uslovie-sdelkata-za-pridobivane-na-prestizh-ot-irlandska-firma

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:cdfbd907:en 2026-07-14T06:00:00Z

Second source: Silicon Republic. — Source: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/press-releases/minister-lawless-announces-quantum-2030-implementation-plan/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:84467195:en 2026-07-13T06:00:00Z

Intel is investing €5 bn in the modernisation and capacity expansion of the Leixlip campus (including for Xeon 6 processors); several hundred permanent positions plus thousands of construction jobs. The programme runs until the end of 2027. — Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0713/1583104-new-intel-leixlip-jobs/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:5afac16f:en 2026-06-25T06:00:00Z

On 25 June 2026 the Irish government announced that EUR 228 million from its Shared Island Fund will go into rail projects across the island, in line with the All-Island Strategic Rail Review and the joint prioritisation strategy; they are to be delivered by 2030. Of this, EUR 100 million is for track renewals in Northern Ireland and EUR 93 million for accelerated parts of DART+ Coastal North, so that Enterprise trains can pass stopping DART and commuter services and the new battery-electric DART fleet can run to Drogheda from 2027, plus EUR 35 million for the hourly Enterprise service that has run since October 2024 (passenger numbers up about 40%). The new Enterprise fleet, whose contract was signed in Belfast on 7 May 2026, is due to enter service from 2030. (LOK Report, 25 Jun 2026) — Source: https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/irland-nordirland-fast-230-millionen-euro-aus-dem-shared-island-fund-fuer-das-inselweite-schienennetz.html

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:bb6209bd:en 2026-06-17T06:00:00Z

Accenture is buying two subsidiaries of Italy's Engineering Group: digital-health specialist Alfahealth, with around 1,200 professionals, and Industries eXcellence Group (IndX, offices in Rome and Chicago), whose more than 650 staff implement Siemens Digital Industries software and which is to join the Accenture Siemens Business Group; no purchase price was given (Il Sole 24 Ore, 17.06.2026). Update (06.10.2026): The European Commission cleared the acquisition under the simplified procedure (case M.12528) (European Commission, Daily News, 06.10.2026). — Sources: https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/accenture-strengthens-its-position-in-italia-with-two-acquisitions-AIxcFiiD · https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_26_2088

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:88151f81:en 2026-03-12T06:00:00Z

Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the NTA have awarded the operation and maintenance of Dublin's Luas to KeolisAmey; the contract, worth about EUR 1.3 billion, was signed on 12 March 2026 and runs for an initial seven years with an option for six more. The handover from Transdev, whose contract awarded in 2019 is expiring, was planned for 1 September 2026, and an improved timetable with extra peak-time services is due from 2027. According to the report, the joint venture has run the Docklands Light Railway in London since 2014 and operates the Metrolink network in Manchester; for Luas Finglas, TII says it is ready to proceed once funding is secured. (LOK Report, 25 Mar 2026; second source: TII, 12 Mar 2026) — Sources: https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/irland-auftrag-fuer-betrieb-und-instandhaltung-der-luas-an-das-joint-venture-keolis-und-amey-vergeben.html · https://www.tii.ie/en/news/press-releases/next-generation-luas-om-contract-awarded-to-keolis-and-amey-joint-venture/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:218296ee:en 2026-01-26T06:00:00Z

Ten European countries agree to accelerate the expansion of offshore wind farms in the 2030s and to build a power grid in the North Sea – a milestone in transforming the ageing oil basin into a 'clean energy reservoir'. Plan: offshore wind farms with direct connections to various countries via high-voltage submarine cables; 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity (enough for 143 million households). Governments pledge to jointly build 5 GW of offshore wind capacity per year from 2031-2040. Over 100 companies signed an industry declaration on cost reduction and the creation of 91,000 jobs. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: the North Sea is to become the 'largest clean energy reservoir worldwide'. The UK also plans to cooperate with Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands on cross-border offshore projects with joint planning and cost sharing. Transmission system operators are to identify around 20 GW of 'economically promising' cross-border projects by 2027 (including hybrid projects such as a UK wind farm exporting electricity to other countries). — Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/26/uk-among-10-countries-to-build-100gw-wind-power-grid-in-north-sea

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:1fa6eb55:en 2026-01-16T06:00:00Z

The Irish Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure, backed by the EIB, have published a joint strategy setting out how the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review are to be implemented and prioritised. In the short term, new passing loops and platforms are planned (including Limerick Junction, Woodlawn, Clara, Sligo and Enfield, plus passing loops on Limerick–Waterford, the Sligo line, Westport/Ballina and Dublin–Belfast); construction in Ireland is due to begin in 2027 and finish by 2030, paid for from the transport sectoral plan of the 2026–2030 National Development Plan. Over the longer term the strategy envisages FourNorth north of Connolly, electrification of Dublin–Cork and Dublin–Belfast, new or reinstated lines such as Portadown–Derry and Letterkenny, and the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris, where initial clearance works have started. The date is a placeholder: the article gives no decision date, so the date of the report is used. (LOK Report, 16 Jan 2026) — Sources: https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/irland/64424-irland-nordirland-strategie-zur-priorisierung-von-eisenbahnprojekten-fuer-die-gesamte-irische-insel-veroeffentlicht.html · https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/rail-project-prioritisation-strategy/

tag:eurotrack.ai,2026:4f6b6b1e:en 2025-07-15T06:00:00Z

Scandic is taking over the hotel operations of Dalata Hotel Group, with 57 hotels and about 12,500 rooms in Ireland and the UK (Clayton and Maldron brands) plus about 1,600 rooms in the pipeline; Scandic had previously run the hotels on behalf of Pandox. The deal was first announced on 15 July 2025, with a further release on 7 November 2025. On 2 November 2026 Scandic completed the purchase, paying €500m on a cash- and debt-free basis; it now has more than 320 hotels in eleven countries (Scandic Hotels Group, 2 November 2026). — Source: https://news.cision.com/se/scandic-hotels-group-ab/r/scandic-hotels-group-slutfor-forvarvet-av-dalatas-hotellverksamhet,c4418777