Dublin City Council has announced a four-week extension to a traffic-free streets initiative on two streets in inner city Dublin.  Earlier a number of business owners and politicians called for the scheme on Capel Street and Parliament Street to be extended and made permanent after a tweet by Dublin City Council yesterday that the pedestrianisation of the two streets was due to end this weekend.

​The two streets have been closed to traffic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings after 6.30pm for the last 11 weeks in order to facilitate outdoor dining.

​The chief executive of Ibec has told the Government it is vital that the next road map to reopening the economy is less prescriptive in nature than previously.

In a letter to the Taoiseach and other ministers, Danny McCoy said businesses welcomed that Government is publishing a revised road map to reflect the progress made in vaccination the public.

The Government will put in place a "clear road map" by the end of the month for the next phase of the removal of Covid-19 restrictions, including for the live music and arts sector, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, Simon Coveney said the Government is very aware that it has been "extraordinarily stressful" for the live events, music and arts sector.

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by €139 million (+1%) to €13,706 million in June 2021 compared with May 2021, according to preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office.

Seasonally adjusted goods imports increased by €320 million (+4%) to €9,044 million leading to a decrease of €181 million (-4%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €4,662 million in June 2021 compared with the previous month.

​Seasonal adjustment compares month-to-month data by removing fluctuations that June occur due to seasonal patterns in trade.

​Exports increased by €800 million in June 2021 compared with June 2020.

The Event Industry Alliance (EIA) has expressed deep disappointment following a virtual meeting with Minister for Arts Catherine Martin, after no date was set for the return of live concerts and cultural events.

The Event Industry Alliance (EIA) met with Minister Catherine Martin and her department today, following an intense campaign and urgent request for engagement with all key stakeholders within the Event Industry . ​

Spending in Ireland’s hospitality sector continued to grow last month as the public returned to pubs and restaurants.   Spending was up 30% in hotels, 28% in pubs and 10% in restaurants, as the hospitality sector continued to reopen to include indoor dining for people who are fully vaccinated.
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The busiest day for spending was July 30, the Friday after indoor dining resumed, with consumers spending more than €8 million an hour in shops and businesses.

Drinks Ireland 2020 Market Report shows that wine remains the nation's second favourite alcohol beverage after beer.

​2020 saw a five-point increase in wine’s market share to 32.2%, mostly at the expense of beer’s market share which fell from 44.9% in 2019 to 38.9% in 2020.

Deliveroo narrowed its pre-tax losses by almost a fifth to £104.8 million (€123.5m) in the first half as revenue rose 82 per cent to £922.5 million and orders doubled, the food delivery company said in its first results since March’s initial public offering.

The London-based company delivered 148.8 million meals and groceries in the first six months of 2021, twice as many orders as in the same period a year ago. Monthly active consumers increased 81 per cent year-on-year to 7.8 million people.

The Chief Executive of the HSE has said the vaccination campaign is in its "final leg".  Speaking at the weekly HSE briefing at Dr Steevens' Hospital, Paul Reid said more than three million people have been fully vaccinated in Ireland and by this weekend 90% of adults will be at least partially vaccinated and 80% will be fully vaccinated.