Property & Planning

Week of 2026-W02

Irish Property Market Intelligence | Business Post

Irish Property Market Intelligence

Monthly Report: Transactions, Planning & Market Trends — January 2026

Source: PROPERTY | Period: 2026-01-08 to 2026-01-14

Monthly | 8–14 January 2026

Dublin Median Hits €460,000 as January Registers 3 Transactions — a 47% Volume Surge on the Prior Week

The first full trading week of 2026 delivered a sharp market signal: 3 property transactions registered nationally, up 47% on the 417 recorded in the final week of December. Dublin's median price jumped to €460,000 — a 23% rise on the prior week's €374,427 — driven by a wave of new-build completions and a cluster of high-value second-hand sales in D04, D14, and D20. The national average reached €377,202, with the top transaction — a rural Cork estate — clearing €2.25 million. Meanwhile, 0 planning applications were received, including a 47-unit scheme in Letterkenny and a 240-unit apartment modification by a Meath developer with three UK-based directors.

Transactions Registered

€460,000

Dublin Median Price

€347,509

National Median Price

Planning Applications

€2.25m

Top Transaction (Cork)

By the Numbers

Metric	Value	Signal
Total transactions registered	3	Up 47% on prior week
National average price	€377,202	Elevated vs Dec baseline
National median price	€347,509	Stable
Dublin median price	€460,000	+23% week-on-week
Dublin transaction count	184	Up from 74 prior week (+149%)
Transactions above €1m nationally	12	1.96% of total
Planning applications received	0	75 residential units proposed
New companies registered (CRO)	706	Incl. 3 external companies

  Business Post AI Pick: The January Effect — or Something More Structural?
  The 47% week-on-week volume surge is partly seasonal — the Property Price Register typically lags 4–6 weeks, meaning many of these transactions completed in late November and December. But the median price jump from €374,427 to €460,000 in Dublin is harder to explain by lag alone. The concentration of new-build VAT-exclusive transactions at Adamstown, Clay Farm, Seven Mills, and Lockhouse Way suggests a cohort of new-build completions hitting the register simultaneously — a supply pulse, not a demand spike. The question is whether this signals a genuine acceleration in delivery or a one-off batch registration.

Pattern of the Week: Bulk Institutional Registrations in D01 Five apartments at 3–7 North Richmond Street, Dublin 1 all registered at exactly €780,000 on the same date — a textbook bulk institutional sale totalling €3.9 million. Transactions like these inflate average prices without reflecting open-market dynamics. Readers tracking Dublin 1 pricing should strip these out when benchmarking against individual buyer activity.

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The Investigation: Where the Money Moved

A deeper look at the week's 3 registered transactions reveals a market with two distinct stories: a Dublin market running hot on new-build completions, and a national market where Waterford and Limerick remain dramatically cheaper than the capital. The county-level data shows not just price gaps but volume gaps — Dublin accounted for 30% of all transactions nationally, a concentration that underscores how dependent the register is on the capital's output pipeline.

County Price Tracker: 8–14 January vs 31 December–7 January

The week-on-week comparison reveals a dramatic volume recovery across all counties after the holiday period, with Cork registering the most striking average price surge — up 129% from €158,448 to €362,550 — as higher-value transactions returned to the register after the Christmas lull. Waterford remains the most affordable county tracked, averaging €183,184 despite doubling its transaction count.

County	Median (Current)	Avg (Current)	Avg (Previous)	Avg Change	Txns (Current)	Txns (Previous)	Volume Change
Dublin	€460,000	€530,005	€369,454	+43.4%	184	74	+149%
Cork	—	€362,550	€158,448	+129%	81	58	+40%
Kildare	—	€472,006	€249,820	+89%	26	20	+30%
Galway	—	€391,585	€194,192	+102%	34	31	+10%
Meath	—	€439,321	€139,750	+214%	21	24	−9%
Wicklow	—	€439,872	€424,141	+3.7%	20	17	+18%
Waterford	—	€183,184	€97,770	+87%	20	10	+100%
Limerick	—	€291,862	€159,420	+83%	15	16	−6%

Standout: Meath Average Up 214% Week-on-Week Meath's average price surged from €139,750 to €439,321 — a 214% jump — while transaction volume actually fell slightly (24 to 21). This is a composition effect: the prior week was dominated by lower-value rural transactions, while this week saw higher-value commuter belt properties register. Kingscroft Developments is active in Ratoath, and the broader Meath commuter corridor continues to attract buyers priced out of Dublin.

Notable Transactions: The Week's Standout Sales

The period's most notable individual transactions span from a €2.25 million rural Cork estate to a €15,500 anomaly in Sandycove — a reminder that the Property Price Register captures all registered transactions, not just open-market sales. The top tier is dominated by Dublin south and Galway west.

Address	County	Price	Type	Signal
The Mill, Nohoval, Belgooly	Cork	€2,250,000	Residential	Highest in period
Glen House, Strawberry Beds, Chapelizod	Dublin	€2,140,000	Residential	D20 premium
3 Carraig An Iolar, Barna	Galway	€1,092,500	Residential	Galway west premium
Apt 1 Castle Square, Carrigtwohill	Cork	€1,250,000	Residential	East Cork
Heron Lodge, Lansdowne Village, Sandymount	Dublin	€995,000	Residential	D04 sub-1m
75 Holmpatrick, Skerries	Dublin	€930,000	Residential	North Dublin coastal
11 The Gardens, Threadneedle Rd, Salthill	Galway	€904,000	Residential	Salthill premium
Kilrush, Dungarvan	Waterford	€805,000	Residential	4.4x Waterford avg
Apt 1, 5 North Richmond St, Dublin 1	Dublin	€780,000	Residential	Bulk sale (x5)
61 Aylesbury, Ballintemple, Cork	Cork	€860,000	Residential	Cork south suburbs

Stress Signal: Waterford Average at €183,184 — Less Than 40% of Dublin Waterford's average transaction price of €183,184 represents just 34.6% of Dublin's €530,005 average. Even accounting for the composition effect (more rural and lower-value properties), this gap is structural. The one outlier — Kilrush, Dungarvan at €805,000 — is 4.4 times the county average, suggesting a two-tier market within Waterford itself: premium rural properties and an affordable urban core.

Planning Applications: The Forward Supply Signal

The 0 planning applications received in the period represent 75 proposed residential units — a modest pipeline for a single week. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown led with 16 applications, followed by Meath (14) and Kildare (12). The largest single application was a 47-unit scheme in Letterkenny, Donegal, while the most significant in terms of scale was a modification by Kingscroft Developments Limited to increase a Ratoath scheme from 228 to 240 units.

Application	Authority	Type	Units	Status
Millford & Gortmacall Beg, Letterkenny (App 2660012)	Donegal CC	Permission	47 (incl. 8 apts)	New Application
Kingscroft Developments — Jamestown, Ratoath (App 2660045)	Meath CC	LRD Modification	240 total (64 new apts)	Pre-Validation
Johnstownbridge Road, Enfield (App 264)	Meath CC	Extension of Duration	12	New Application
Newtownmoyaghy, Kilcock (App 2660044)	Meath CC	Permission	5	Pre-Validation
6 Renmore Road, Galway City (App 2660001)	Galway City	Permission	1 (extension)	New Application

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The Connections: What the Data Alone Cannot Tell You

The raw transaction data for 8–14 January tells one story. Cross-referencing it against CRO records, court judgments, and Business Post coverage tells another. Three themes emerge: the return of institutional capital to Irish residential, the persistence of regional price inequality, and a planning pipeline that is active but thin. A deeper look reveals that the most interesting stories are not in the headline numbers — they are in the patterns beneath them.

Institutional Capital Returns: DWS, Cosgrave, and the €800m Forecast The Business Post reported this month that German fund DWS is seeking €220 million for two south Dublin apartment schemes in Dun Laoghaire — acquired from the Cosgrave Group for €195 million in 2020. That 12.8% premium over a six-year hold is modest by any measure, but the significance is the signal: CBRE Ireland is forecasting more than €800 million in residential investment transactions in 2026, double the 2025 level. The January transaction data is consistent with this thesis — high-value Dublin transactions are returning to the register, and the D04 and D18 postcodes are showing sustained activity above €500,000. The question for 2026 is whether institutional sellers like DWS find willing buyers at their asking prices, or whether the market forces a discount.

The Meath Developer with UK Directors: Kingscroft's 240-Unit Ratoath Play Kingscroft Developments Limited filed a Large-scale Residential Development modification in January 2026, seeking to increase its Ratoath, Meath scheme from 228 to 240 units by adding a floor to two apartment blocks. CRO records reveal a company with a 35-year history — registered 12 October 1989 — with three active directors: Charles Hubert Gallagher (Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, director since 1992), David Dawson (St Albans, Hertfordshire, director since 2009), and Cathal Mullan (Clonee, Dublin 15, director since 2009). The company's principal object is "development and selling of real estate" with €125,000 authorised share capital. Two of three directors are UK-based — a common structure for Irish developers with British institutional backing. The Ratoath scheme, if approved, would deliver 240 units to a commuter town that is already seeing strong price growth (Meath average up 214% week-on-week in this period).

The Cork Outlier: €2.25 Million in Rural West Cork The highest transaction in the period — The Mill, Nohoval, Belgooly, Cork (P17EY88) at €2,250,000 — is 6.2 times the Cork county average of €362,550. Nohoval is a rural townland between Kinsale and Carrigaline, an area that has attracted premium buyers seeking coastal proximity without the Kinsale price tag. No CRO corporate buyer was identified for this transaction — it appears to be a private sale. The property's name ("The Mill") suggests a converted industrial building, a category that consistently commands premiums in the Cork market. Watch for further premium transactions in the Kinsale–Carrigaline corridor as the year progresses.

New-Build Completions Cluster: The Adamstown–Seven Mills Pipeline Multiple VAT-exclusive transactions in the Dublin 22/K78 eircode cluster — Adamstown Way (€387,665), Lockhouse Way Seven Mills (€440,528), and Danehill Phoenix Park Racecourse (€440,530) — point to a coordinated batch of new-build completions registering simultaneously. VAT-exclusive pricing (indicating new builds sold by developers) in the €387k–€441k range is consistent with the Help-to-Buy scheme threshold and suggests these are first-time buyer units. The Adamstown SDZ has been delivering units for over a decade; Seven Mills is a newer scheme. Together, they represent the kind of steady-drip supply that keeps the D22/K78 market accessible relative to inner Dublin.

The Radar: Three Signals Worth Watching

Radar 1: Donegal Leading Planning Activity — Mica Rebuilds and New Supply Donegal County Council received 11 planning applications in the period — the fourth highest nationally — including a mica demolition and replacement at Manorcunningham (App 2660013) and a new dwelling at Buncrana (App 2660032). The mica defective blocks crisis continues to generate a steady stream of replacement applications across Donegal and Mayo. This is not new supply — it is remediation of existing stock — but it is being counted in planning statistics. Watch for the mica remediation pipeline to accelerate through 2026 as the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme processes more claims.

Radar 2: Galway West Premium Properties Clustering Above €750,000 Three Galway transactions in the period exceeded €750,000: 3 Carraig An Iolar, Barna (€1,092,500), 11 The Gardens, Salthill (€904,000), and Doon East, Rosscahill (€760,000). The Barna–Salthill–Oranmore coastal corridor is emerging as a distinct premium micro-market within Galway, driven by tech sector professionals and returning diaspora. At €391,585 average, Galway county is now closer to Dublin than to Waterford. Watch for Galway City Council planning applications for higher-density schemes as the city responds to demand pressure.

Radar 3: Extension-of-Duration Applications Signal Stalled Schemes Reviving Two extension-of-duration applications in the period — Meath County Council App 264 (12 units, Enfield, original permission TA200317) and Donegal App 2650002 (one-off dwelling, Dunfanaghy) — suggest developers are reviving permissions that were granted but not built during the post-2020 construction slowdown. Extensions of duration are a leading indicator: they mean a developer has land, has planning, but needs more time. When multiple extensions appear in a single week, it signals that the pipeline is moving again. Watch for these schemes to begin construction in Q2–Q3 2026.

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The Deep Dive: Two Stories That Demand a Closer Look

Two entities from this period's data warrant deeper investigation: a 35-year-old Meath developer quietly expanding a 240-unit scheme with UK-based directors, and a rural Cork estate that cleared €2.25 million in a market where the county average is €362,550. Together, they illustrate the two poles of the Irish property market — institutional-scale residential development and premium one-off rural property.

Kingscroft Developments Limited — The Quiet Meath Developer Scaling Up

Kingscroft Developments Limited (CRO: 150410) is registered at 9 Abbey House, Main Street, Clonee, Co. Meath (D15FXC3). Incorporated on 12 October 1989, the company has been developing and selling real estate for 35 years — a survivor of the Celtic Tiger, the crash, and the recovery. Its principal object is "development and selling of real estate" and it carries €125,000 in authorised share capital. The January 2026 planning application for a Large-scale Residential Development modification at Jamestown, Ratoath — seeking to increase an already-permitted 228-unit scheme to 240 units by adding a floor to two apartment blocks — is the latest move in a long-running Meath development programme.

Metric	Detail
Company Number	150410
Incorporated	12 October 1989 (35 years)
Registered Address	9 Abbey House, Main Street, Clonee, Meath D15FXC3
Principal Object	Development and selling of real estate
Authorised Capital	€125,000
Issued Capital	€125
Active Directors	3 (2 UK-based, 1 Ireland-based)
Last Accounts Date	30 April 2025
Jan 2026 Planning Activity	LRD modification: 228 → 240 units, Ratoath, Meath

Reading Between the Lines: UK Directors, Irish Land, Long-Term Play The ownership structure of Kingscroft Developments is instructive. Charles Hubert Gallagher has been a director since September 1992 — over 33 years — and is based in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. David Dawson joined in January 2009 (St Albans, Hertfordshire) and Cathal Mullan in May 2009 (Clonee, Dublin 15). The 2009 appointments are significant: they coincide with the post-crash restructuring period, suggesting the company was recapitalised or restructured as the market bottomed. The low issued capital (€125 against €125,000 authorised) is typical of a development vehicle that funds projects through debt rather than equity. The Ratoath scheme — now seeking 240 units — is a long-term land play in a commuter town that has seen sustained demand from Dublin workers.

The question for 2026: Will Meath County Council approve the additional floor on the Ratoath apartment blocks, and if so, when will construction commence? The extension-of-duration pattern seen elsewhere in the planning data suggests developers are moving cautiously — but Kingscroft's 35-year track record suggests this is a company that builds what it plans.

The Mill, Nohoval, Belgooly, Cork — €2.25m and the Rural Premium

The highest transaction in the period was The Mill, Nohoval, Belgooly, Cork (P17EY88) at €2,250,000 — registered 8 January 2026. Nohoval is a rural townland in the Kinsale–Carrigaline corridor, approximately 20km south of Cork city. The property name suggests a converted mill building, a category that commands significant premiums in the Cork market due to character, scale, and riverside or watermill settings. No corporate buyer was identified in CRO records — this appears to be a private sale.

Metric	Value
Transaction Price	€2,250,000
Eircode	P17EY88 (Nohoval, Belgooly)
County Average (this period)	€362,550
Premium over county average	+521% (6.2x)
Property Type	Residential (second-hand)
VAT Exclusive	No (not a new build)
Transaction Date	8 January 2026

Why It Matters: The Cork Rural Premium Is Real and Growing A €2.25 million transaction in rural West Cork is not an anomaly — it is part of a pattern. The Kinsale–Carrigaline–Nohoval corridor has been attracting high-net-worth buyers for over a decade, drawn by coastal proximity, character properties, and relative value compared to Dublin. At 6.2 times the Cork county average, this transaction sits in a micro-market that operates entirely independently of the Help-to-Buy scheme, the first-time buyer market, or the new-build pipeline. The buyers here are cash-rich, often returning diaspora or international buyers, and they are not sensitive to interest rate movements. Watch for further premium transactions in the P17 eircode area as the year progresses.

The question for 2026: Will the Nohoval–Belgooly corridor see further €2m+ transactions, or was this an outlier driven by a unique property? The answer will depend on whether the supply of character rural properties in the Cork south coast corridor keeps pace with demand from premium buyers.

Key People This Period

Name	Role	Notable Activity	Connections
Charles Hubert Gallagher	Director	Director of Kingscroft Developments since 1992; company filed 240-unit LRD modification in Ratoath	UK-based (Gerrards Cross, Bucks); 33-year directorship
David Dawson	Director	Director of Kingscroft Developments since January 2009; joined during post-crash restructuring	UK-based (St Albans, Hertfordshire)
Cathal Mullan	Director	Ireland-based director of Kingscroft Developments since May 2009; Clonee, Dublin 15	Local operational director; Clonee address matches company registered office
Colin Richardson	CBRE Ireland	Quoted in Business Post forecasting €800m+ residential investment transactions in 2026	DWS article
Justice Barrett	High Court Judge	Delivered judgment in Goode Concrete v CRH/Roadstone/Kilsaran — struck out after 16 years	Construction sector competition law

One to Watch: Kingscroft Developments Limited

Kingscroft Developments Limited

CRO: 150410 | 9 Abbey House, Main Street, Clonee, Meath D15FXC3 | Real Estate Development | Auditor: AI222237

Metric	Value
Incorporated	12 October 1989
Company Type	Private Limited (LTD)
Authorised Capital	€125,000
Issued Capital	€125
Last Accounts	30 April 2025
Active Directors	3 (Gallagher, Dawson, Mullan)
Jan 2026 Planning	240-unit LRD modification, Ratoath, Meath

What they do: Kingscroft Developments is a long-established Irish property developer focused on residential development and sales in the Meath commuter belt. The company has been active since 1989 and has survived multiple market cycles. Its current focus is a large-scale residential scheme at Ratoath, Co. Meath, where it is seeking planning permission to increase an already-approved 228-unit development to 240 units.

Why it matters: Kingscroft is not a headline-grabbing developer — it is exactly the kind of mid-tier, long-established company that delivers the bulk of Ireland's housing output without attracting media attention. Its UK-based directors suggest a funding structure that draws on British institutional capital, a common model for Irish developers who survived the crash by restructuring with overseas partners. The Ratoath scheme, if approved and built, will add 240 units to a commuter town that is already under significant demand pressure from Dublin workers. The company's 35-year track record and consistent annual return filings (auditor AI222237 appears across multiple years) suggest a professionally managed operation.

The number that matters: €125 issued capital against €125,000 authorised — a ratio of 1:1,000. This is not unusual for a development vehicle, but it means the company is almost entirely debt-funded. When interest rates move, companies like Kingscroft feel it immediately. Watch the 2025 accounts (due by April 2026) for signs of margin pressure.

The Broader Picture: Courts, Companies, and the Week Ahead

The Companies Registration Office

The CRO registered 706 new companies in the period 8–14 January 2026, including three external companies — Castle Paving Ireland Ltd, Tillotts Pharma AG, and POLYGROUP EU LIMITED — reflecting Ireland's continued role as a European registration hub for international businesses. Domestic formations included two electrical contractors (Ascari Electrical Limited and Atlas Electrical Limited), two computer consultancy firms, and a nursing agency — the kind of micro-enterprise formation that characterises the first weeks of a new year as sole traders incorporate. The property sector's most significant CRO activity was the ongoing filing record of Kingscroft Developments Limited, whose latest annual return (accounts to 30 April 2025) was submitted in November 2025.

Company	Type	NACE Sector	Registered
Castle Paving Ireland Ltd	External Company	Construction	13 Jan 2026
Tillotts Pharma AG	External Company	Pharma	13 Jan 2026
POLYGROUP EU LIMITED	External Company	Manufacturing	13 Jan 2026
ASCARI ELECTRICAL LIMITED	LTD	Electrical Installation	14 Jan 2026
ATLAS ELECTRICAL LIMITED	LTD	Electrical Installation	14 Jan 2026

Construction Watch: Two Electrical Contractors in One Day The simultaneous registration of Ascari Electrical Limited (Naas, Kildare) and Atlas Electrical Limited (Clonsilla, Dublin 15) on 14 January 2026 — both with €100,000 authorised capital — is a minor but telling signal. Electrical contractors incorporate when they have work. The Kildare and Dublin 15 locations align precisely with the active new-build corridors visible in the transaction data (Adamstown, Seven Mills, Caragh). Watch for further trades incorporations in Q1 2026 as the construction pipeline accelerates.

The Irish Courts

The High Court delivered 10 judgments in the period 8–14 January 2026, with the most business-relevant being the striking out of a 16-year-old competition case in the construction materials sector. Goode Concrete v Cement Roadstone Holdings PLC and Others — involving CRH plc, Roadstone Wood Limited, and Kilsaran Concrete — was struck out by Justice Barrett for abuse of process and failure to pay court-ordered costs. The case, which began in 2010 and related to events from 2007–2011, is a reminder that competition litigation in the construction sector can run for decades without resolution. A planning-related case, Browne v Mayo County Council, addressed pension entitlements for local authority workers — relevant context for the planning authorities processing the applications in this period.

Citation	Parties	Subject	Why It Matters
[2026] IEHC 11	Goode Concrete v CRH plc, Roadstone, Kilsaran	Competition — construction materials	16-year case struck out; CRH/Roadstone/Kilsaran vindicated after prolonged litigation
[2026] IEHC 4	Browne v Mayo County Council	Pension overtime reckonable	Overtime now reckonable for pension; affects local authority staffing costs
[2026] IEHC 8	Meta Platform Ireland v Data Protection Commission	Data protection	Tech sector regulatory challenge; DPC jurisdiction confirmed
[2026] IEHC 1	San Leon Energy v Brightwaters Energy	Energy sector dispute	Energy company litigation; sector consolidation context

Stress Signal: Goode Concrete v CRH — 16 Years and No Resolution The striking out of Goode Concrete v CRH/Roadstone/Kilsaran after 16 years is a cautionary tale for competition litigation in Ireland. The plaintiff — a concrete supplier alleging anti-competitive behaviour by the dominant building materials group — failed to pay court-ordered costs and was found to have abused the process. For the construction sector, the practical takeaway is that CRH, Roadstone, and Kilsaran — which together supply a significant share of Ireland's concrete and aggregates — have seen off a major competition challenge. With the housing construction pipeline accelerating, the pricing power of these suppliers will be closely watched.

Property Markets and Plans

Beyond the transaction register, the planning data for the period points to a pipeline that is active but geographically concentrated. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown led all local authorities with 16 applications — a reflection of the county's ongoing development pressure and the density of infill and extension applications in the south Dublin suburbs. The 75 residential units proposed across all 0 applications is a modest weekly figure, but the extension-of-duration applications signal that stalled schemes are beginning to move again.

Authority	Applications	Notable Development
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown CC	16	Highest volume; infill and extension applications
Meath CC	14	Includes Kingscroft 240-unit LRD modification, Ratoath
Kildare CC	12	Commuter belt activity; Naas and Maynooth area
Donegal CC	11	Includes 47-unit Letterkenny scheme and mica rebuilds
Tipperary CC	9	Rural one-off and retention applications

The Week Ahead

The 8–14 January period sets the tone for 2026: a market with strong Dublin demand, a thin national planning pipeline, and institutional capital beginning to re-engage with Irish residential. The 47% volume surge is partly a catch-up from the holiday period, but the price data — particularly Dublin's €460,000 median — suggests underlying demand remains robust. The planning data tells a more cautious story: 75 proposed units across 116 applications is not the supply response the market needs. The Kingscroft Ratoath modification, if approved, will add 12 units to a scheme that was already permitted — incremental progress, not transformation.

The Business Post's reporting on DWS's €220 million Dun Laoghaire sale is the most significant forward-looking signal: if CBRE's €800 million residential investment forecast for 2026 proves accurate, the second half of the year should see a significant increase in large-scale transactions. The question is whether that institutional activity translates into new supply or simply recycles existing stock between funds.

  The Bottom Line
  The Irish property market entered 2026 with momentum in Dublin and stagnation in the regions. The gap between Dublin (€460,000 median) and Waterford (€183,184 average) is not closing — it is widening. Until the planning pipeline delivers meaningful new supply outside the capital, the affordability crisis will remain a Dublin problem that the rest of Ireland watches from a distance.

What to Watch:

Meath County Council's decision on the Kingscroft Ratoath LRD modification (App 2660045) — due by March 2026
Donegal County Council's decision on the 47-unit Letterkenny scheme (App 2660012) — due by March 2026
DWS's €220 million Dun Laoghaire sale process — will it find a buyer at the asking price?
Kingscroft Developments' 2025 accounts (due April 2026) — will they show margin pressure from interest rates?

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