Reasons to be Cheerful

It was a good day in business yesterday for a number of companies who have made major commitments to Irish sport.
Aviva Ireland was first out of the blocks posting a rise in operating profits of 13 per cent to a figure of €69 million.
This was swiftly followed by positive news from new All Ireland Football Sponsor AIB who announced a return to profit to the tune of €1.1 billion.
Aer Lingus joined in with the good news announcing an increase in long haul passengers, where margins are higher, of 21.7 per cent on February 2014 and announcing extra capacity on routes to the United States.
In a fourth element of good news for sport, Coca Cola announced that it was to double its marketing spend around low and no sugar brands in its portfolio.
And finally, Paul O’Connell‘s success in leading Ireland to victory over England last weekend is having a positive impact on his personal finances with accumulated profits at his personal company rising to €1.23 million in the past 12 months.