To conclude, against a backdrop of balance sheet repair for Irish banks’ combined with on-going deleveraging by Irish households and SMEs, the Irish economy continues to deal with the legacies arising from the crisis. Risks and uncertainties remain, notably from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Nonetheless, economic activity continues to expand at a reasonably healthy pace.
1  I would like to thank Mary Everett, Mary Cussen, Terry Quinn and Mícheál O’Keeffe and for their contribution to this speech. The views expressed in this speech are personal and do not reflect the views of the Commission of the Central Bank of Ireland, or the Eurosystem.