Irish consumers are reported to have borrowed a record amount in personal loans over the past year. According to Irish Independent and BreakingNews.ie, total borrowing exceeds €3 billion, marking the highest level recorded for personal lending within a 12-month period. The accounts from both outlets describe the figure as collective borrowing by consumers, rather than borrowing by a single group or lender. The reports focus on the scale of new personal loan borrowing, indicating that demand for such credit has risen to record levels. While the sources provide the same headline statistic, they do not add detailed breakdowns such as average loan sizes, borrowing by county, or which lenders account for the largest shares of the lending. Both pieces attribute the headline figure to the latest available data on personal loans, presented as evidence of record borrowing activity among Irish consumers. The reporting is consistent on the core point: in a year, consumers borrow more than €3 billion in personal loans.