Donal O’Donovan: Only in Ireland could data show we’re simultaneously in a boom and a recession – what’s really going on?

Sometimes you must look past the quirks of the figures to see the real picture

Pharma giants play an important role the Irish economy. Stock image. Photo: Getty

Ireland’s maddeningly hard-to-credit economic data has done it again. The Irish economy grew faster than anywhere else in Europe last year, but we ended 2025 in a technical recession.

So which is it – boom or bust?