Danny McCoy said US president Donald Trump has let ‘genie is out of the bottle’ by ‘starting something that he might not be able to control’.

Ibec’s first assessment of current measures projects a loss of between four and six billion euro in trade in the short term.

"We wouldn't like to be in this situation, but it is a situation where we've got to choose a side.”

Lack of insurance or unaffordable cover has led to hundreds of firms in the leisure sector closing permanently in recent years.

The Taoiseach delivered a speech at the Ibec President’s dinner in Dublin on his 150th day in office.

Ibec's executive director Fergal O’Brien said not enough is being invested in education, research and upskilling to future-proof the economy