Worse, the Irish gross national product (GNP) plunged 2.2pc in the fourth quarter after a 1.9pc decline in the previous three months. GNP is regarded by the Irish government as a more accurate barometer of the country's economic performance as it strips out substantial profits earned by multi-national companies in Ireland that are then taken out of the country. The CSO said the Irish economy grew by 0.7pc for the whole of 2011. But it shrank by 2.2pc in GNP terms.