Over the period 1995 to 2007, the Irish economy grew at an annual rate of approximately 6% on average, owing primarily to increases in consumer expenditure, construction, and business investment. Due to a collapse in the real estate market, economic activity plummeted precipitously in 2008, and the country entered into recession for the first time in more than a decade. Following a series of economic reforms aimed at reducing the budget deficit and government debt, the GDP began to grow in the third quarter of 2010, and after three-quarters of recession in 2012, it has risen to the position of the fastest growing economy in the Euro Area.
A higher than expected figure should be seen as positive (bullish) for the EUR while a lower than expected figure should be seen as negative (bearish) for the EUR.
