Rising commercial rents, energy costs, and jittery consumer spending are grinding down the optimism that briefly returned to Dublin's high streets after the pandemic.
With commercial rents up 18% since 2024 and rates bills climbing again, Dublin's independent traders are under serious pressure — but some are finding ways through.
From Liberties food halls to Sandyford tech studios, a new wave of Irish entrepreneurs is reshaping how Dubliners shop, eat, and spend — and the stakes for ordinary consumers have never been higher.
A widening divide between high-value tech and financial roles and an oversupplied services sector is forcing workers across the capital to make hard choices about their careers.
