There are also “known unknowns”, risks that we don’t yet appreciate but can predict with a certain amount of accuracy because we’ve seen them before. Unless there is a significant fall in immigration, which is unlikely in the absence of a deep recession, the Irish housing debacle will continue. If that was the known knowns, what about the known unknowns? As known unknowns go, the effect of the football team is one to watch. As one of the known unknowns, success in the beautiful game would surely be the most welcome surprise.

Source: The Irish Times January 03, 2026 07:31 UTC