Irish Discretionary Spending Rose 2% in May, Led by Cinema and Restaurants

Irish discretionary spending increased by 2% in May, according to AIB data compiled from 83 million card transactions. This rise occurred despite increased fuel and energy costs.

Spending in restaurants rose 10%, pubs 5%, and fast food outlets 7% year-on-year. Entertainment spending was up 6%, with cinemas seeing a 53% increase, driven by releases like «The Devil Wears Prada 2» and a Michael Jackson biopic. May 3rd was the highest spend day for cinemas this year. Electrical goods spending increased 11% ahead of World Cup 2026. Service station spend rose 8%, and electric vehicle charging was up 74%. Taxi spend increased 8%, and road/bridge tolls were up 7%.

Conversely, off-licence sales dropped 10%. Travel-related expenditure decreased, with airline spending down 6%, cruise lines 29%, and travel agencies 3%. Clothing store spending fell 9%, but second-hand stores like Vinted saw a 197% increase. AIB head of consumer Adrian Moynihan noted this indicates «a resilience among Irish consumers after the initial impact of rising energy costs impacted spending patterns the previous month.»