AIB Reads Two September Events Into Its Card Data
AIB's September Spend Trend reports County Clare accommodation card spending 64 percent above the same period last year during the Amgen Irish Open. Card transactions at accommodation providers near Tullamore rose 6 percent on the 2025 National Ploughing Championships.
The bank published the release on 10 October 2026. The figures come from 75.2 million card transactions carried out by AIB customers in store and online during September 2026.
The Ploughing Week Numbers
Accommodation transactions near Tullamore reached four times the 2026 daily average and the highest transaction volumes recorded in the area this year.
In-store restaurant spending in Tullamore rose 44 percent on the 2025 championships, and the category includes fast food. Spending in drinking places in the Tullamore area fell 27 percent. Across County Offaly, in-store restaurant spending rose 11 percent and drinking-place spending fell 21 percent on the 2025 Ploughing dates.
The National Ploughing Association ran the 95th championships at Screggan, Tullamore from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September 2026. The association puts attendance at 243,000 across the three days: 77,000 on day one, 91,000 on day two and 75,000 on day three. It named Boherkill Farm, Rathangan, County Kildare as the 2027 venue.
The Irish Open Numbers
Restaurant, dining and pub spending in County Clare ran 58 percent above the September daily average during the tournament, against a 29 percent increase nationally. The tournament ran at Doonbeg.
Spending at Clare service stations on the busiest day of the week was 25 percent above the monthly average.
The Wider Basket
Ticket spending on AIB cards reached its highest monthly level in two years. The category rose 125 percent on August and 22 percent on September 2025.
Five sale days delivered half of the month's ticket spend. Electric Picnic 2027 tickets went on sale on Friday 4 September, the Harry Styles three-night Croke Park run for August 2027 followed on Monday 14 September, and the Oasis 2027 shows at Slane ran from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September.
Total AIB card spending rose 4 percent year on year, with in-store and online spending each up 4 percent. National restaurant, dining and pub spending rose 5 percent, with restaurant spending up 9 percent. Grocery and supermarket spending rose 3.5 percent and service station spending 11 percent year on year, with 4 percent month on month. Electric vehicle charging spend rose 95 percent.
Moynihan on the Event Effect
"September's spending shows how major events can deliver a real boost for businesses, both nationally and in the communities that host them," AIB head of consumer Adrian Moynihan said.
He said music fans drove the strongest month for ticket spend in two years, and that the National Ploughing Championships and the Amgen Irish Open brought a clear uplift for accommodation, hospitality and other local businesses.
What the Release Measures
The Spend Trend reports card transaction counts and category value changes by county and by national line. It states no room rate, no occupancy figure, no forward booking volume and no spend per visitor. Every comparison runs against the same period in 2025.
Ireland's Day-Use Shelf
The release carries no day-use line. It reports no hourly rate, no daytime window and no part-day occupancy figure.
The Dayuse Ireland search page, read on 16 October 2026, listed 23 day hotels with day rates from 70 to 229 euros. Twenty-two of the 23 sit in Dublin and one in Galway.