The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting strong growth for Ireland and says inflation will average 6.5% over 2022 before falling to 2.8% next year.

Our Andy Pike is quoted in this opinion piece, which discusses the union's respect for SNAs campaign. Meanwhile, privacy concerns were aired at yesterday's AHCPS conference.  

Elsewhere, An Post has been ranked Ireland's most reputable company, MDH's pop at Twitter's new owner attracts much comment, and the national maternity hospital row is rumbling along nicely.

Internationally, Ukraine coverage focuses on the continuing bombardment of the vast Avostal steel plant in battered Mariupol, the fall-out from the leaked Roe-V-Wade draft Supreme Court judgement continues, and Karine Jean-Pierre has become the first Black and openly-gay White House press secretary.

To Zen, then. I saw a stunning performance by the Battersea-based Beatbox Academy at the Gate last weekend. Impressively, they press-ganged a couple of local poets - including Dublin's Hazel Hogan - to open the show. If her Bass Line Marries The Beat doesn't get your weekend feeling flowing, I don't know what will.

Have a good one.

Bernard