DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s gradual recovery is fragile but signs of life in the domestic economy suggest it is capable of exiting its bailout on schedule at the end of this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday.

Rescued by Europe and the IMF in late 2010, Ireland has consistently hit the targets set under its bailout and closed in on weaning itself off emergency assistance last month by raising 5 billion euros ($6.42 billion) in a landmark 10-year bond sale.

DUBLIN, March 27 (Reuters) – State-owned Allied Irish Banks
(AIB) declared that it is moving back towards
profitability after cutting its operating loss by a quarter last
year and improving margins this year.

AIB cost taxpayers more than 20 billion euros during the
financial crisis – the most handed out to any lender still
operating – and is cutting jobs, closing branches and reducing
its funding costs.

DUBLIN, March 26 (Reuters) – Irish bank permanent tsb (PTSB)
has had no fallout from the banking crisis in Cyprus,
the state-owned lender said on Tuesday after reporting that
losses in 2012 shrank by a third, while mortgage arrears rose.

“We’ve seen no issues so far, we’ve been through a lot worse
than this and have seen continued inflows,” PTSB group treasurer
Kieran Bristow told a news conference.

ASHBOURNE, Ireland (Reuters) – Two years ago, Micheal Martin was shouted off the campaign trail. Now, in the very housing estates that suffered most when the economy crashed under his party’s watch, he is invited in for cups of tea.

Martin’s Fianna Fail will this week fight it out with Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s fellow centre-right Fine Gael in a by-election that will show the limited appetite in bailed-out Ireland for the type of populist political movements making inroads elsewhere in Europe.

DUBLIN, March 13 (Reuters) – Ireland took its biggest step
yet towards exiting its EU/IMF bailout by selling 5 billion
euros ($6.5 billion) of benchmark 10-year bonds, its first issue
of such long term debt since it was locked out of markets in
late 2010.

The issue was as much as double the size that many traders
had predicted, and was significantly oversubscribed with offers
of least 12 billion euros, a source close to the deal said.

DUBLIN, March 12 (Reuters) – Ireland is to issue its first
new benchmark 10-year bond since its EU/IMF bailout in the “near
future”, its debt agency said on Tuesday, a landmark on its
route to becoming the first bailed-out euro zone country return
to full market funding.

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which began
borrowing again from capital markets last year, had earmarked a
new benchmark issue as its most significant step towards a full
market return ahead of regular bond auctions later this year.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish online betting exchange Intrade, which let customers stake cash on everything from the Papal conclave to the date of the next major terror attack, said it had ceased trading after the discovery of possible financial irregularities.

Intrade, whose users bought or sold shares representing the likelihood of an event occurring, said it had closed and credited all open bets as of the end of business on Sunday to customer accounts.

DUBLIN, March 9 (Reuters) – France coach Philippe Saint-Andre was a relieved man on Saturday after his side avoided a first championship whitewash in more than 50 years by drawing their Six Nations match with Ireland 13-13.

Narrow favourites before the tournament began, France made their worst start since 1982 with three defeats in their first three games, including an opening-day loss in which they were thoroughly outplayed by lowly Italy.

DUBLIN, March 8 (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund
will do what it can to help Ireland emerge from its EU/IMF
bailout later this year, its chief said on Friday, praising the
amount of work already done by Dublin.

As a member of Ireland’s “troika” of lenders, the IMF was
asked by European Union finance ministers this week to advise on
how to help Ireland and fellow aid recipient Portugal return
fully to international debt markets.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund will do what it can to help Ireland emerge from it EU/IMF bailout later this year, its chief said on Friday, praising the amount of work already done by Dublin.

As a member of Ireland’s “troika” of lenders, the IMF was asked by European Union finance ministers this week to advise on how to help Ireland and fellow bailed-out Portugal return fully to international debt markets.