Property & Planning
Week of 2026-W04
Irish Property Market Intelligence
Monthly Report: Transactions, Planning & Market Trends — Week of 22–28 January 2026
Source: PROPERTY | Period: 2026-01-22 to 2026-01-28
Volume Collapses 83%, But Dublin Holds Firm: A Week of Outliers, SPVs and Institutional Exits
Transactions registered in the week of 22–28 January 2026 tell a tale of two markets. The headline number — 3 transactions nationally, down 83% on the prior week's 546 — looks alarming, but the story is more nuanced: Dublin's median held at €429,500 (versus €486,000 the week prior), and the period's highest-value deal, a second-hand Rathmines house at €1.825m, was 4.25 times the county median. Meanwhile, the CRO registered two new property acquisition SPVs by the Wicklow-based O'Reilly Hyland family on the same day, and the High Court cleared the path for Glenveagh's 227-apartment Galway development — a week that, beneath the volume dip, was rich with structural signals.
By the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| National transaction volume | 3 | Down 83% week-on-week |
| National median price | €339,175 | Down 5.8% on prior week |
| Dublin median price | €429,500 | Down 11.6% on prior week |
| Cork median price | €202,000 | Down 46.1% on prior week |
| Highest single transaction | €1,825,000 | 79 Leinster Rd, Rathmines D06 |
| Planning applications received | 0 | Donegal leads (23) |
| New property SPVs registered (CRO) | 2 | Home for Life DACs 2 & 3 |
| Residential units in planning pipeline | 43 | Across 210 applications |
The Investigation: Transactions, Prices & Planning
County Price Tracker: Week-on-Week Comparison
The volume collapse from 546 to 3 transactions is almost entirely a registration-lag effect rather than a market signal — the Property Price Register typically lags completions by 4–6 weeks. What the data does reveal is a meaningful price correction in Cork and Wicklow, while Dublin and Galway show relative resilience. Cork's median fell 46% week-on-week, from €375,000 to €202,000, driven by a thin sample of 11 transactions skewed toward lower-value rural and apartment sales. Wicklow's median dropped 24%, from €535,000 to €408,000, as the premium commuter-belt market registered fewer high-value completions.
| County | Median (22–28 Jan) | Median (15–21 Jan) | Change | Txns (Current) | Txns (Previous) | Volume Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | €429,500 | €486,000 | −11.6% | 32 | 153 | −79% |
| Cork | €202,000 | €375,000 | −46.1% | 11 | 81 | −86% |
| Galway | €321,861 | €328,457 | −2.0% | 6 | 35 | −83% |
| Wicklow | €407,500 | €534,973 | −23.8% | 4 | 20 | −80% |
| Meath | €365,639 | €396,475 | −7.8% | 3 | 25 | −88% |
| Limerick | €260,500 | €260,500 | Flat | 2 | 2 | Flat |
| Kildare | €422,907 | N/A | No prior data | 1 | 0 | New entry |
Notable Transactions: The Period's Standout Deals
Five transactions exceeded €1m over the period, all in Dublin. The highest — €1.825m for a second-hand house at 79 Leinster Road, Rathmines (D06NY52) — is 4.25 times the Dublin county median and confirms that the premium D6 market remains active even in a low-volume week. The Ballsbridge apartment at The Nicholson, Lansdowne Place (€1.1m, D04E0X4) and the Templeogue house at Corrybeg (€1.15m, D6WCV02) round out the top three.
| Address | County | Type | Price | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 Leinster Rd, Rathmines, D06 | Dublin | Second-hand residential | €1,825,000 | 4.25x county median |
| 10 Corrybeg, Templeogue, D6W | Dublin | Residential | €1,150,000 | 2.68x county median |
| Apt 33, The Nicholson, Ballsbridge | Dublin | New apartment | €1,100,000 | D04 premium |
| Crannog, 26 Gleann na Smol, Monkstown | Dublin | Residential | €1,040,000 | A94 south Dublin |
| 19 Fairfield Rd, Glasnevin, D9 | Dublin | Residential | €995,000 | D09 northside premium |
| 17 Elm Mount Park, Beaumont, D9 | Dublin | Residential | €681,000 | D09 strong demand |
| Ballinahina, Whites Cross, Cork | Cork | Residential | €585,000 | Cork's highest this period |
| 2 Sycamore Close, Cabinteely, D18 | Dublin | Residential | €690,000 | D18 south Dublin |
Planning Pipeline: 0 Applications Received
The planning system received 0 applications over the period, with 154 standard permissions, 40 retention applications, and 9 extension-of-duration requests. Donegal County Council led with 23 applications, followed by Meath (21) and Tipperary (17). Only 43 residential units were proposed across all applications — a low figure that reflects the dominance of single-house extensions, agricultural buildings, and commercial changes of use in this week's pipeline. The most notable application is a Clare County Council submission seeking to extend the operational life of a 19.8-hectare wind farm from 25 to 37 years — a signal of the energy transition playing out through the planning system.
| Planning Authority | Applications | Notable Application |
|---|---|---|
| Donegal County Council | 23 | Derelict dwelling renovations; agricultural sheds |
| Meath County Council | 21 | Residential extensions; rural one-off houses |
| Tipperary County Council | 17 | Mixed residential and agricultural |
| Cavan County Council | 15 | Virginia Park Lodge pavilion renewal (protected structures) |
| Dun Laoghaire Rathdown CC | 13 | Suburban residential extensions |
| Galway County Council | 13 | Rural residential and agricultural |
| Kildare County Council | 13 | Commuter-belt residential |
| Clare County Council | 12 | Wind farm life extension (19.8ha, 25 to 37 years) |
The Connections: What the Data Alone Cannot Tell You
A deeper look at the period reveals that the thin transaction register is not the story — it is the backdrop. The real action is in the corporate structures being assembled, the court decisions clearing the path for supply, and the institutional capital repositioning itself for a new cycle. Over the period, three separate data sources — the Property Price Register, the CRO, and the courts — each told a fragment of the same story: the Irish residential market is entering a new phase of organised, structured investment, even as the visible register looks quiet.
The Radar: Three Signals Worth Watching
The Deep Dive
Two entities stand out from this period's data as worthy of deeper investigation: the Home for Life network, a Wicklow-based family property investment platform that registered two new acquisition vehicles on 28 January 2026, and the premium D6 residential market, where a single second-hand house sale at €1.825m tells a story about the enduring strength of Dublin's most sought-after addresses. One deep dive follows.
Home for Life Acquisitions Network — A Wicklow Family Office Scales Up
The Home for Life network is a Wicklow-based property investment platform built by Charles O'Reilly Hyland and his son Max O'Reilly Hyland. Charles, based at Rock Farm, Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow, is the patriarch of the operation; Max, based in Dalkey, is the operational director. The platform was established in December 2017 with the incorporation of Home for Life Limited, which operates from the IDA Business Park in Bray. The fund management infrastructure — Home for Life GP Limited (January 2019) and Home for Life GP 2 Limited (July 2024) — suggests a fund structure with at least two separate investment vehicles. The January 2026 registration of three Acquisitions DACs in 12 days is the most visible signal yet of an active deployment phase.
| Entity | CRO Number | Registered | Type | Capital | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home for Life Limited | 616802 | Dec 2017 | LTD | N/A | Parent / Operating entity |
| Home for Life GP Limited | 640611 | Jan 2019 | LTD | N/A | General Partner (Fund 1) |
| Home for Life GP 2 Limited | 768406 | Jul 2024 | LTD | N/A | General Partner (Fund 2) |
| Home for Life Acquisitions 1 DAC | 806254 | 16 Jan 2026 | DAC | €10,000 | Acquisition SPV |
| Home for Life Acquisitions 2 DAC | 807236 | 28 Jan 2026 | DAC | €10,000 | Acquisition SPV |
| Home for Life Acquisitions 3 DAC | 807237 | 28 Jan 2026 | DAC | €10,000 | Acquisition SPV |
The question for the next 12 months: which assets will these three DACs acquire, and will they appear in the Property Price Register as buyers of residential portfolios, or will they operate in the commercial and build-to-rent sectors where transactions do not always appear in the PPR?
Key People This Period
| Name | Role | Notable Activity | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles O'Reilly Hyland | Director | Registered as director of Home for Life Acquisitions 2 & 3 DAC on 28 Jan 2026 | Home for Life Ltd, Acquisitions 1 DAC, First Step Financial Services, Port Walls Ltd |
| Max O'Reilly Hyland | Director | Director of all three Acquisitions DACs and both GP entities; based in Dalkey | Home for Life GP Ltd, GP 2 Ltd, CBM Aviation Ltd, Azzfay Ltd |
| Paul Cunningham | Director | Director of all three Acquisitions DACs; based in Delgany, Co. Wicklow | Acquisitions 2 DAC, Acquisitions 3 DAC |
| Ian Healy | Director | Director of Home for Life GP Limited and GP 2 Limited; based in Wicklow Town | Home for Life GP Ltd, GP 2 Ltd |
| Holland J. | High Court Judge | Delivered [2026] IEHC 23 dismissing judicial review of Glenveagh's 227-apt Galway LRD | Foran v An Coimisiún Pleanála |
One to Watch: Home for Life GP 2 Limited
Home for Life GP 2 Limited
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private Limited Company (LTD) |
| Status | Normal (active) |
| Registration date | 24 July 2024 |
| Directors | Max O'Reilly Hyland, Ian Healy, Sean Gerard O'Brien |
| Address | 6th Floor, 2 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2 |
| Relationship to Acquisitions DACs | General Partner for Fund 2 vintage (2024–present) |
Home for Life GP 2 Limited is the general partner entity for the second vintage of the Home for Life property investment fund. Registered in July 2024, it was incorporated 18 months after the first GP entity (Home for Life GP Limited, January 2019), suggesting a new fund raise was completed in mid-2024. The three Acquisitions DACs registered in January 2026 are almost certainly the deployment vehicles for this second fund.
Why it matters: the Home for Life platform is a domestic Irish family office operating at institutional scale — a general partner structure, multiple fund vintages, and now three acquisition SPVs in rapid succession. This is the kind of capital that does not appear in the Property Price Register until after the fact. The platform's Wicklow roots (Charles O'Reilly Hyland at Rock Farm, Brittas Bay; Paul Cunningham in Delgany; Ian Healy in Wicklow Town) suggest a regional family office that has built a professional fund management operation. The question for 2026: will the second fund deploy into residential, commercial, or mixed-use assets — and will those transactions appear in the PPR?
The number that matters: Three acquisition DACs in 12 days. That is the pace of a fund in active deployment, not a platform in planning mode. Watch for Home for Life transactions in the Property Price Register over the next 6–12 months.
The Broader Picture
The Companies Registration Office
The CRO registered 593 companies in the week of 22–28 January 2026 — a figure that underscores the continuing pace of Irish corporate formation. Of these, 32 were Designated Activity Companies (DACs), the legal structure of choice for special purpose vehicles in financial services and property. The most notable formations for property market watchers are the two Home for Life Acquisitions DACs (807236 and 807237), but the broader DAC cohort tells a story about Ireland's role as Europe's leading SPV domicile: Blackrock European CLO XVIII DAC, Golub Capital Partners Euro CLO 89(M) DAC, Jubilee CLO 2026-XXXVI DAC, and Cross Ocean CLO Fund II Holdco DAC all registered in the same week, reflecting active European credit market activity. The external company registrations — including Metropolitan AP3 Propco 1 S.a r.l. (Luxembourg-domiciled, Dublin address) — signal continued cross-border property investment activity.
| Company | CRO No. | Type | Sector | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home for Life Acquisitions 3 DAC | 807237 | DAC | Property / Monetary intermediation | Property acquisition SPV |
| Home for Life Acquisitions 2 DAC | 807236 | DAC | Property / Monetary intermediation | Property acquisition SPV |
| Blackrock European CLO XVIII DAC | 807176 | DAC | Financial services | CLO vehicle, Docklands |
| Triaxial DAC | 807081 | DAC | Financial services | $100m USD authorised capital |
| Inflection AI Limited | 807239 | LTD | Computer programming | AI company, D04 Barrow St |
The Irish Courts
The High Court delivered 149 judgments in the period, with three of particular relevance to business and property readers. The most significant for the property market is [2026] IEHC 23 Foran v An Coimisiún Pleanála, in which Mr Justice Holland dismissed a judicial review of Glenveagh Living Limited's 227-apartment Large-scale Residential Development in Galway — clearing a major supply pipeline. The bankruptcy case [2026] IEHC 24 Re: Clarkson [A Bankrupt] is a reminder that personal insolvency proceedings continue to move through the courts, with implications for property asset realisation. The property dispute [2026] IEHC 44 Outeniqua Limited v Buckley and O'Neill involves a company and property-related parties, though the full details of the dispute are not yet public.
| Citation | Parties | Subject | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| [2026] IEHC 23 | Foran v An Coimisiún Pleanála; Glenveagh Living Ltd | Planning judicial review — 227-apt LRD, Galway | Dismissed — clears path for major residential supply |
| [2026] IEHC 44 | Outeniqua Limited v Buckley and O'Neill | Property/company dispute | Corporate property litigation — watch for outcome |
| [2026] IEHC 24 | Re: Clarkson [A Bankrupt] | Personal bankruptcy proceedings | Insolvency pipeline — potential property asset realisation |
The Week Ahead
The week of 22–28 January 2026 will be remembered not for its transaction volume — which was thin by any measure — but for the structural signals it contained. Three property acquisition DACs registered in 12 days by a Wicklow family office. A High Court judgment clearing 227 apartments in Galway. A Business Post report of a €220m institutional exit from Dún Laoghaire. And 32 financial SPVs registered in a single week, confirming Ireland's continued role as Europe's structured finance hub. The single most important takeaway: the Irish property market is not quiet — it is reorganising. Institutional capital is rotating out at a premium; domestic family-office capital is deploying through new SPV structures; and the courts are clearing the legal path for large-scale residential supply. The visible register — 3 transactions — is a lagging indicator. The leading indicators are all pointing in the same direction.
What to Watch:
- Home for Life Acquisitions DAC transactions in the Property Price Register — watch for the first acquisition by DACs 806254, 807236, or 807237 over the next 6–12 months.
- The DWS €220m Dún Laoghaire sale — watch for the buyer identity when the transaction registers in the PPR, likely Q2–Q3 2026.
- Glenveagh Galway — watch for a formal planning grant from An Coimisiún Pleanála and a construction commencement notice for the 227-unit LRD.