Which leaves Irish lawmakers in a quandary.
As the government prepares its annual budget statement in October, it must settle the tricky question of what to do with this pot of money.
Yet for peculiarly Irish reasons, none of these apparent boons would be, in itself, an easy option.
“Whatever they do, it will leave some people feeling very grumpy,” said Cliff Taylor, a business columnist at The Irish Times.
There is talk, he said, of putting the money aside in a sovereign wealth fund, to help support rising pension costs as the population ages.
Persons:
”, Cliff Taylor
Organizations:
The Irish Times
Locations:
Dublin