Specifically, Irish general government debt rose from below 25% of GDP in 2007, which was much below the 60% limit of the Maastricht Treaty, to over 106% of GDP in 2011, and is projected to rise until 2013.
In the same period, the headline balance deteriorated from a surplus of 0.7% of GDP in 2007 to a peak of a staggering 31% of GDP in 2010 (of which about two-thirds was related to banking support measures).