Ireland today begins the process of exiting the bailout.

One of the two separate financial deals reached by Ireland with the Troika officially ends today.

Ireland will formally exit the bailout in a week's time - with some small events being planned for Dublin next Friday.

But today actually marks the first half of that exit.

Ireland has technically been taking part in two separate arrangements - one with the IMF, and another with the European Central Bank and the IMF.

The deal with the IMF is the one that ends next week - but the arrangement with the EU partners actually ends today.

That means that from today, the European bodies won't have any role in directly setting Ireland's budget policy.

The bailout will then officially end next Sunday when the three-year European deal expires.