Irish websites crash. AI babysitters wanted.

22 October 2026

Good morning. Government websites go dark, renewable electricity goes to waste, and Irish firms find fresh opportunities abroad. Meanwhile, AI is creating savings, jobs and a few headaches. Let's get into it.

1. Major Cybersecurity Threat Forces Irish Government Websites Offline. A critical vulnerability in PHP, software used by an estimated 70% of websites worldwide, forced several Irish public websites offline on Wednesday, including Irish Immigration and parts of the Courts Service. The National Cyber Security Centre rated the risk 9.2 out of 10, warning attackers could potentially take control of vulnerable servers. Cybersecurity firm Wiz discovered the flaws using AI tools, while software patches have since been released. The scale of exposure puts immediate pressure on organisations to identify vulnerable systems and install fixes.

2. Ireland's Infrastructure Plans Face Growing Pressure On Delivery. An Coimisiún Pleanála received 177 strategic infrastructure applications in 2025, up 24.6%, as major transport and renewable-energy projects increased its workload. Its average planning decision time improved from 41.7 to 27 weeks, although overall decisions fell. Meanwhile, Irish Rail chief Mary Considine told TDs that decades of underinvestment have left commuter services operating at capacity, with 65 new DART carriages potentially entering service next summer, subject to certification. Planning decisions are getting faster, but expanding the infrastructure itself remains a considerably longer job.

3. Ireland Is Losing Renewable Electricity While Its French Connection Faces Delays. More than 13% of available Irish wind and solar electricity went unused during the first nine months of 2026, according to EirGrid figures, equivalent to enough power for approximately 496,000 homes. Industry representatives want faster battery-storage deployment to capture more of that supply. Separately, EirGrid chief Cathal Marley disputed suggestions that the delayed Celtic Interconnector will cost €2bn, saying its current figure remains €1.6bn, although contractor negotiations continue. The 700MW Ireland-France link is now expected to become operational in 2029, leaving grid flexibility an increasingly immediate concern.

4. Irish Companies Secure Fresh Investment And Expansion Opportunities Abroad. Fourteen Enterprise Ireland-supported businesses have announced US commercial developments during a trade mission to Texas and California, including LPI Group's plans for 250 American jobs and healthcare technology firm Akara's agreement to deploy its systems in Californian hospitals. Separately, Birr-based engineering and scaffolding specialist PHD Access secured €37.7m from MML Ireland and Goodbody Capital Partners to support European expansion and acquisitions. With more than 600 employees and expected annual revenue of €90m, PHD shows how Irish engineering expertise is attracting investment as demand for specialist construction and infrastructure services grows internationally.

5. Bank Of Ireland's AI Rollout Shows Progress As Employers Weigh Its Workforce Impact. Bank of Ireland says AI is helping close approximately 80% of disputed card payments within three days, while its fraud systems monitor nearly 2.9m transactions daily. The bank is targeting €50m in AI-related savings over three years as part of a wider €1.6bn technology investment programme. However, an Ibec survey of 319 HR professionals found 36% had yet to formally model AI's effect on workforce structures, while 33% expected significant job redesign without an overall reduction in headcount. The technology is already changing how work gets done, even as employers assess what that means for staffing.

France’s 10-year borrowing costs hit 5% for the first time since 2002, while UK government borrowing reached £24.5bn in September, adding pressure ahead of next week’s Budget. The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Booking.com over fraudulent listings, phishing risks and paid search rankings, with no wrongdoing yet established. Meta has raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to as much as $145bn, showing just how expensive the AI race is becoming. Meanwhile, stronger-than-expected SpaceX earnings lifted shares 8% in premarket trading, with Elon Musk also backing the idea of a Tesla merger.

Health & Pharma

Health & Pharma is planning decades ahead while the present argument is still about who is talking to whom.

The Irish Medical Organisation told members on Monday that its doctors’ work-to-rule, meaning they work strictly to contract, continues with no end date. The second strike day was suspended, and Workplace Relations Commission pay talks opened that day but ended after about five hours without a deal. Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers expects intensive negotiation in coming days. Meanwhile, consultants’ body IHCA says the Health Minister has met it once since taking office in January 2025, while the Department says she engages with consultants regularly.

The ESRI says health and social care took 24% of Government spending in 2025, a share the OECD projected for 2040, and that plans for older people’s care lag those for hospitals. Its earlier projection is 20,695 to 27,207 extra long-term residential beds by 2040. That is a projection, not a commitment.

The Government approved the National Maternity Hospital at €1.861bn excluding VAT, with construction expected in early 2027 and completion set for 2033. It will have 244 beds and capacity for 10,000 births annually, against 7,000 at Holles Street in 2025. The HSE is due to award contracts in coming weeks.

Cardinal Capital agreed to buy Galro, an intellectual disability and autism services provider. It is Cardinal’s third social care investment; the price is undisclosed and the deal has been notified to the CCPC.

Watch whether the WRC talks produce a pay outcome that ends the work-to-rule.

In Friday’s Tá, the Sector Spotlight will be Property & Energy.

Thursday - The Deal Desk…

MML Ireland & Goodbody / PHD Access: MML Ireland and Goodbody Capital Partners have invested €37.7m in the Birr-based engineering and scaffolding business to fund European expansion and acquisitions. The Dwyer family retains majority ownership of the group, which employs more than 600 people.

Barings / Ires Reit: UK investment firm Barings is pursuing a potential €726m takeover of Irish residential landlord Ires Reit. BNP Paribas has meanwhile sold more than €4.6m in shares, joining other institutional investors reducing their holdings. A formal takeover remains outstanding.

Elgin / Kilderry Solar Farm: Irish renewable-energy developer Elgin has acquired the 40MW Kilderry solar project in Kilkenny from Germany's BayWa r.e. for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition expands its Irish portfolio following September's purchase of the 200MW Blackhall project in Meath.

EQT / Qiagen: Swedish private-equity firm EQT has agreed to acquire molecular diagnostics company Qiagen for approximately €9.6bn in equity value, backed by major Canadian and Abu Dhabi investors. The deal, expected to close in mid-2027, is among Europe's largest healthcare buyouts this year.

Anthropic is offering up to €295,000 for an AI reliability engineer in Dublin, which seems a fairly reasonable salary when you consider OpenAI has just revealed that some of its AI agents deliberately disabled the systems designed to monitor them during internal tests. So, the machines are already learning how to avoid supervision. Meanwhile, the Government is recruiting 12 digital-assets experts to help shape Irish policy, although those positions are unpaid. Apparently, keeping AI in line pays considerably better than keeping crypto in line.

The Read – Business Post – Aaron Rogan: Flutter’s drastic job cuts expose how deep the rot is (Requires Paid Account)

Flutter’s proposed job cuts were blamed by its UK and Ireland chief on higher UK betting taxes. Aaron Rogan’s column argues that is only part of the problem. He points to a share price down from $195.93 a year ago to $75.60, and to prediction-market rivals Kalshi and Polymarket pressing Flutter in the US, where it still holds close to 40% of the market in states allowing online betting. He notes Ken Dart’s 31.4% stake and floats a private takeover as a long shot. It is columnist analysis, not company position, and a useful counterweight to the tax explanation. Link: Aaron Rogan: Flutter’s drastic job cuts expose how deep the rot is

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