The 6 nations rugby comes to a close tomorrow.  Ireland fell short this year against a very strong French side.  Rugby as a business has boomed in these nations off the field as well in recent decades and much of that is down to public equity investment.  But with a clampdown on head injuries will the declining physicality of the game damage the income being earned by it off the field? 

Robert Brophy is the former CFO of World Rugby and now with Interpath Ireland which was involved in the review of Manchester United at the end of last year. 

Austin Hughes from AJ Bell takes a run through all of Friday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

The number of tourists coming into Ireland in January was down 25% on the previous year. But more worrying, the amount of money they spent fell by even more - 28%.  On top of that the dollar is losing ground against the Euro which means US visitors will find Ireland even more expensive than last year. So as we prepare for the key St Patrick's day weekend, how are we fixed for a sector which is vital for more remote parts of the country? 

Orla Carroll is Director of Product Development with Failte Ireland and discussed this and more with Joe this morning.

AI adoption could soon raise Gross National Income per person to €160,000 and put a rocket under growth according to a major report carried out by Microsoft and Trinity College.  But nearly two thirds of bosses say their staff illicitly use AI for their work against company policies. Also there’s a major skills gap emerging between those who have and are comfortable with AI and those being left behind. 

Joe spoke to Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha, Associate Professor of Business Analytics at Trinity Business School and co-author of the report. 

Thursday business news review along with Joe Lynam.

Thursday's business news headlines review with Joe Lynam.

Donald Trump raised tariffs on Canadian aluminum to 50% last night.  That was in response to the application of a 25% tariff on all electricity sold by the Canadian province of Ontario to northern US states including New York. The escalation and tit for tat between the 2 otherwise friendly neighbours is shocking the world. Speaking to Joe this morning was  Deirdre Giblin Director of Development and External Engagement at National College of Ireland National college of Ireland but is also with the Ireland-Canada Business Association.  

João Vale De Almeida was the EU ambassador in Washington, the United Nations and then in London and has served under 6 EU commission presidents.  He’s met Putin 15 times and has seen a few trading and geopolitical missteps in his time but his latest book kind of sums up the state of the world right now.  It’s called ‘The Divorce of Nations’ and João Vale De Almeida spoke to Joe this morning.

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the unsold food in restaurants at the end of the day? Much of it alas gets thrown out and totally wasted, some of it is given to the less fortunate and food banks but a growing amount of that food can now be purchased online before the restaurant closes at knockdown prices.  And the website which is spreading fast for that purpose is Too Good to Go.com and Machaela O’Leary is the Sales Manager with ‘Too Good to Go’.

Tuesday's business news review along with Joe Lynam.