Overview: A Surge in Spending Driven by Major Events
September proved to be a month of strong consumer momentum in Ireland, with overall card spending up 10% year on year. AIB’s latest spend trend, drawn from 75 million card transactions in-store and online, highlights how big events can shift consumer behavior. The National Ploughing Championships, the Ryder Cup, and Electric Picnic stood out as engines of this growth, underscoring the link between tourism, entertainment, and daily spending.
Ploughing Championships: A Harvest of Ticket Sales
The National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co Offaly, drew large crowds on September 16th and 17th, becoming the year’s top-selling days for tourism and exhibitions. The event’s scale—reputed as the world’s largest of its kind—helped lift ticket sales across several counties, with visitors from Cork, Tipperary, Galway, Limerick, and Offaly driving demand. This surge reflects the event’s status as a major cultural and agricultural showcase, attracting both domestic visitors and rural economies that benefit from extended stays, meals, and ancillary spending.
Ryder Cup and Golf: A 10% Rise in Golf-Related Spending
The golfing fortnight in September culminated in a notable spike in spend at golf clubs and courses, aligning with the Irish Open victory by Rory McIlroy at The K Club and Team Europe’s later success at the Ryder Cup in New York. The data show a 10% year-on-year increase in golf-related expenditure, illustrating how national pride and international sporting events can translate into tangible consumer activity—from memberships and equipment to hospitality and on-site concessions.
Electric Picnic and Ticket-Driven Growth
Ticket sales emerged as a standout category, increasing by 45% year on year. The highest daily spend on tickets occurred on September 3rd, when tickets for Electric Picnic 2026 went on sale, signaling strong demand from music and festival enthusiasts. These figures reflect a broader trend of Ireland’s cultural calendar driving consumer confidence and discretionary spend, as music fans pre-purchase experiences far in advance of event dates.
Broader Spending Trends Across Sectors
Beyond events, overall card spend rose by 10% year on year for September. Groceries grew 3%, with an average basket size of €24.57, while entertainment spending jumped 18% over 12 months, and 7% month-on-month. The cinema sector benefited from new releases such as The Conjuring: Last Rites and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, contributing to a 19% annual increase in cinema spend.
Hospitality and Retail: Seasonal Shifts
As summer winds down, hospitality figures cooled. Hotel outlays dropped 22% month-on-month, pubs declined 26%, and restaurants fell 14% month-on-month (though restaurants were up 6% year on year). Regional variations were evident, with Kerry down 20% and similar declines in Wexford and Donegal. Clothing and department store spend also eased modestly, hinting at a shift from discretionary retail to entertainment-driven expenditures during the busy September period.
Digital and Back-to-School Spending
Digital games spending surged 25% year on year, while electronics rose 20%—a likely reflection of back-to-school needs and ongoing tech purchases. These shifts highlight how the September calendar, with holidays, school terms, and national events, creates multiple layers of consumer demand across sectors.
Commentary from AIB
Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB, notes that September’s activities align with the back-to-school season and post-holiday consumer behavior. He emphasizes that the notable ticket sales performance demonstrates Ireland’s appetite for music and culture, with Electric Picnic tickets playing a pivotal role in driving the biggest ticket-spending day of the year so far.
What This Means for Businesses
For retailers, hospitality operators, and event organizers, the September spend wave offers key takeaways: plan for peak event periods, diversify revenue streams around major cultural moments, and optimize digital channels as in-person activity aligns with large-ticket purchases. The data also suggests sustained consumer confidence despite global uncertainty, particularly in experiences and discretionary categories.
