Yes, in recent months, Ireland's "bund spread" has widened – but so has that of all eurozone "peripheral" nations. This has been partly due to Germany's economic recovery – which has lowered yields on Berlin's sovereign debt – but also been because the eurozone has so far resisted printing money on the same grotesque scale as the US and UK. That's kept the euro relatively strong, making it even harder for small export-driven member states such as Ireland to recover.