S&P upgrades Ireland rating to A on solid growth prospects

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's raised Ireland's credit rating to 'A' on Friday, rewarding the former bailout recipient for what it said was solid economic growth, improving employment and a debt reduction path that stands out in the euro zone. S&P became the first agency to strip Ireland of its prized AAA rating in March 2009 when the country's financial crisis took hold, but was also the first to put it back in the A band with an A- rating in June as econo