Irish annual inflation hits seven-month high of 0.5 percent in February
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish annual consumer price inflation rose to 0.5 percent in February, the highest rate since last July, while prices were 0.6 percent higher than the previous month, data showed on Wednesday. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), which strips out mortgages, climbed 0.5 percent on the month and was 0.3 percent higher than a year ago, the Central Statistics Office said. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Hugh Lawson)