Ireland’s annual inflation rate eased slightly to 3.6% in May 2026, down from 3.7% in April. Price growth slowed for several categories, including food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.3% vs 2% in April), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (2.4% vs 2.7%), clothing and footwear (7.4% vs 7.9%), housing and utilities (7.1% vs 8.1%), recreation and culture (0.6% vs 1.2%), and restaurants and hotels (3.7% vs 3.9%).
By contrast, prices accelerated for insurance and financial services (5.8% vs 5.3%), health (1.7% vs 1.6%), information and communication (1.3% vs 1%), and transportation (6.1% vs 3.8%), while inflation in education remained unchanged at 8.9%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices slipped by 0.1% in May, following a 0.5% increase in the previous month.
