Ireland was all set for a tap-and-go future - card-only cafés, vanishing ATMs, entire towns losing bank branches. Then things flipped. The Government has now introduced new rules forcing banks to keep cash physically available and is even advising households to store cash at home for emergencies. Europe is saying the same thing: cash isn’t old-fashioned; it’s crisis-proof. 

On today’s podcast, Tara Duggan – a proud Cash Queen – dives into why the cashless “revolution” suddenly stalled. Sean Defoe, who never carries cash, breaks down the new ATM rules landing this week. Financial advisor John Lowe explains why he still backs a cashless economy. And Brett Scott, author of Cloudmoney, argues that Big Tech and Big Finance have spent years waging a quiet war on cash, because digital money means data, power, and profit. 

Is cash freedom? Is cash wasteful? Is cash about to make a comeback? Or is this just a speed bump on the road to a fully digital wallet? Tara tests the tension between tap-and-go Ireland and the die-hard defenders of paper money. 

📧 Share your thoughts with us: newstalkdaily@newstalk.com 

🎧 Listen to Let Me Explain with Seán Defoe: https://www.goloudplayer.com/podcasts/let-me-explain-1031 

💶 Visit John Lowe’s Money Doctor: https://moneydoctors.ie 

🌐 Explore Brett Scott’s work: https://alteredstatesof.money