Property & Planning

Week of 2026-W11

Irish Property Market Intelligence | Business Post

Irish Property Market Intelligence

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

Source: PROPERTY | Period: 2026-03-12 to 2026-03-16

Monthly | March 2026 — Registered Transactions & Planning Activity

February's Register Tells the Real Story: Dublin Median Hits €460,000 as Institutional Investors Signal an €800m Year Ahead

The Property Price Register for transactions registered in early 2026 — reflecting deals completed in late 2025 and early 2026 — shows 3 transactions logged nationally since January, with a national median of €331,504 and an average of €364,000. Dublin's median of €460,000 sits 39% above the national figure, a gap that has widened since December. Meanwhile, the planning pipeline for March 1–16 logged 0 applications covering 70 residential units — the largest a 29-home social and affordable scheme in Knocklyon, Dublin 16. The biggest story of the period, however, sits outside the register: German asset manager DWS is seeking €220 million for two Dún Laoghaire apartment schemes, a move that CBRE Ireland says signals a doubling of institutional residential investment in 2026.

Transactions Registered (2026 YTD)

€331,504

National Median Price

€460,000

Dublin Median Price

Planning Applications (Mar 1–16)

€220m

DWS Dún Laoghaire Ask Price

By the Numbers

Metric	Value	Signal
National average price (2026 YTD)	€364,000	Up from Jan avg €342,600
February transaction volume	1,877	+13% vs January (1,659)
Dublin median vs national median	+39%	Widening gap
Largest single transaction (Galway bulk)	€11.6m	32-unit new build, VAT-excl.
Largest commercial transaction	€5.95m	Hotel, Fumbally Lane, D8
Planning applications received (Mar 1–16)	231	70 residential units total
Largest planning scheme (units)	29 homes	Social/affordable, Knocklyon D16
DWS Dún Laoghaire premium on 2020 cost	+12.8%	€195m → €220m ask

  Business Post AI Pick: The February Acceleration
  February 2026 logged 1,877 transactions at an average of €382,914 — up 11.7% on January's €342,600 average and 13% higher in volume. This is not a seasonal blip: the February surge reflects a genuine acceleration in market activity as buyers who paused in late 2025 re-entered. The national median of €331,504 masks a two-speed market: Dublin at €460,000 and Waterford at €197,719 — a 133% gap between the capital and the south-east. That divergence is structural, not cyclical.

Pattern of the Month: Institutional Capital Returns The DWS €220m Dún Laoghaire sale — reported by the Business Post on 16 March — is the clearest signal yet that institutional investors are re-entering the Irish residential market after a multi-year lull. CBRE Ireland forecasts more than €800 million in residential investment transactions in 2026, which would be double the 2025 total. When the largest fund managers in Europe start pricing exits at 12% premiums on 2020 acquisition costs, it tells you something important about where they think the market is heading.

View Full Report →

The Investigation: Where the Money Is Moving

A deeper look at the 2026 year-to-date register reveals a market in two distinct phases. January was cautious — 1,659 transactions at a €342,600 average — while February accelerated sharply to 1,877 transactions at €382,914. The data lag inherent in the Property Price Register means these figures reflect contracts exchanged in late 2025 and early 2026, not the current week. What they show is a market that entered 2026 with momentum. The high-value end is particularly active: 54 transactions above €1 million were registered in Dublin alone over the period, led by a €2.27 million sale on Castle Avenue, Clontarf (D03) and a €5.95 million hotel development on Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8.

Notable Transactions Registered — 2026 YTD (Selected)

Address	County	Price	Type	Signal
1–32 Goirtín Murrough, Dublin Road, Galway	Galway	€11,596,998	Residential (bulk)	32 units, new build, VAT-excl.
Hotel Development, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8	Dublin	€5,950,379	Commercial	D08 regeneration zone
150 Castle Ave, Clontarf, Dublin 3	Dublin	€2,270,000	Residential	D03 premium — 4.9x national median
1 Whitethorn, Balure Lane, Church Rd	Dublin	€2,020,000	Residential	A96 Killiney/Shankill area
Hall Floor, 34 Synge St, Dublin 8	Dublin	€1,795,000	Residential	D08 — inner city premium
4 Leinster Road West, Rathmines, Dublin 6	Dublin	€1,650,000	Residential	D06 — Rathmines premium
27 Kincora Rd, Clontarf, Dublin 3	Dublin	€1,525,000	Residential	D03 — same street cluster
40 Merlyn Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4	Dublin	€1,500,000	Residential	D04 — Ballsbridge
54 Hainault Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18	Dublin	€1,390,000	Residential	D18 — Foxrock
27 Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords	Dublin	€165,000	Commercial	Retail unit, K67 eircode

Standout: The Galway Bulk Deal The largest single transaction registered in the period is a 32-unit residential development at Goirtín Murrough, Dublin Road, Galway — sold for €11,596,998 VAT-exclusive on 5 February 2026. At an implied per-unit price of approximately €362,000 (ex-VAT), this is a new-build bulk sale consistent with an institutional or local authority purchase. Comparable Galway properties in the same period transacted at €315,000–€415,000, suggesting the bulk buyer secured a modest discount to individual market value — a typical feature of portfolio acquisitions.

Stress Signal: The Two-Speed Market Widens Waterford's average price of €197,719 is less than half Dublin's €557,966 average. Limerick at €235,988 and Kilkenny at €235,780 are similarly far behind. These are not temporary gaps: they reflect structural differences in employment density, infrastructure investment, and housing demand. For buyers priced out of Dublin, the commuter belt counties of Kildare (€393,202 avg) and Meath (€349,507 avg) offer the nearest alternatives — but even these are 37–45% cheaper than Dublin, suggesting the capital's premium is not just about location but about access to economic opportunity.

County Price Tracker — 2026 YTD vs December 2025

The county-level comparison below contrasts 2026 year-to-date averages (January–mid-March) against December 2025 averages. Note that December 2025 had a full month of data and higher volumes; the 2026 YTD figures reflect a partial period. Price direction is the more meaningful signal than volume change across these different time windows.

County	Avg (2026 YTD)	Avg (Dec 2025)	Price Change	Txns (2026 YTD)	Txns (Dec 2025)
Dublin	€557,966	€791,471	-29.5% avg (mix effect)	1,014	2,242
Cork	€323,988	€361,073	-10.3%	437	877
Kildare	€393,202	€432,771	-9.1%	177	448
Galway	€376,420	€487,327	-22.8% avg (mix effect)	192	360
Meath	€349,507	€455,680	-23.3% avg (mix effect)	147	337
Limerick	€235,988	€442,617	-46.7% avg (mix effect)	119	217
Waterford	€197,719	€373,586	-47.1% avg (mix effect)	91	188
Kilkenny	€235,780	€334,251	-29.5% avg (mix effect)	64	119

Reading the County Table: Mix Effects vs Real Price Moves The apparent price declines across all counties from December 2025 to 2026 YTD are largely a mix effect: December typically sees a concentration of higher-value transactions as year-end deals complete, while January and February skew toward mid-market activity. The more reliable signal is the February 2026 national average of €382,914 — the highest monthly average in the dataset — which suggests underlying prices are rising, not falling. Limerick and Waterford's low averages reflect genuine affordability in those markets, not price falls.

Planning Applications — March 1–16, 2026

The planning pipeline for the first half of March shows 231 applications received across local authorities, with 70 residential units proposed in total. The dominant application type is standard Permission (187 of 231), with 34 Retention applications — a persistent feature of the Irish planning system. Donegal County Council leads with 36 applications, reflecting the county's active rural one-off housing activity. The standout application is South Dublin County Council's Part 8 scheme at Castlefield Avenue, Knocklyon — 29 social and affordable homes on council-owned land.

Application No.	Authority	Development	Units	Type
PT8SD359	South Dublin CC	Castlefield Ave, Old Knocklyon Rd, Dublin 16 — Social & Affordable Mixed Tenure	29	Part 8 Social/Affordable
2660335	Galway County Council	Mount Carmel Road, Loughrea — renovation & extension of 3 dwellings	2	Permission
2660065	Galway City Council	83 Lios an Uisce, Murrough, Galway — single-storey rear extension	1	Permission
2650030	Donegal County Council	No.15 Drumbaran Park, Ardara — completion with minor elevation changes	1	Extension of Duration
2660095	Cavan County Council	Aghnaglogh, Kill, Co. Cavan — single-storey dwelling	1	Permission

View All 3 Transactions →

View Planning Applications →

The Connections: What the Data Alone Cannot Tell You

The register and the planning portal each tell part of the story. The register shows where money has already moved; the planning portal shows where it intends to go. But the most revealing signals emerge when you connect the two — and when you add the institutional investment layer, the court record, and the Business Post's own reporting. A deeper look this month reveals three converging themes: institutional capital re-entering the Irish residential market at scale, a planning system under sustained legal pressure, and a two-speed market that is becoming structurally entrenched.

Institutional Re-Entry: The DWS Signal and What It Means for 2026 The Business Post reported on 16 March that German fund DWS is seeking €220 million for two Dún Laoghaire apartment schemes — acquired from the Cosgrave Group in 2020 for €195 million. The 12.8% premium on exit is notable, but the more significant data point is the market context: CBRE Ireland forecasts more than €800 million in residential investment transactions in 2026, double the 2025 total. DWS, a Deutsche Bank subsidiary with over €1 trillion in assets under management, entered the Irish market in 2018 and has invested close to €1 billion across real estate sectors. Its decision to exit now — at a premium — is not a vote of no confidence; it is a portfolio rotation by a fund that bought at the bottom and is now recycling capital. The buyers who emerge for these Dún Laoghaire schemes will be the real story: who is willing to pay €220 million for Irish residential in 2026 tells you everything about where institutional sentiment has moved.

  The Galway Bulk Deal: New Build Supply Reaching the Market
  The largest transaction registered in the period — 32 units at Goirtín Murrough, Dublin Road, Galway, for €11.6 million VAT-exclusive — is a textbook bulk new-build sale. At approximately €362,000 per unit (ex-VAT), the buyer secured a modest discount to individual market value (comparable Galway properties transacted at €315,000–€415,000 in the same period). Bulk sales of this type typically involve local authorities, approved housing bodies, or institutional landlords. The VAT-exclusive treatment confirms new construction. This is exactly the kind of transaction the government's housing targets depend on: new units reaching the market in volume, not one at a time. The question is whether the buyer is adding to rental supply or owner-occupier stock — and that answer will only emerge in the planning and tenancy records.

The Planning System Under Legal Pressure: Three Cases in One Month The Irish courts delivered three significant planning-related judgments in the first half of March 2026. In [2026] IEHC 156, Mr Justice Humphreys dismissed a challenge to a data centre planning permission in Clare, finding that An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision fell within the lawful spectrum under climate legislation. In [2026] IEHC 137, a second planning judicial review (Condon v An Coimisiún Pleanála) was also before the courts. And in [2026] IEHC 135, a wind energy planning challenge was dismissed. The pattern is clear: An Coimisiún Pleanála is facing sustained legal challenge across multiple development types — data centres, wind energy, and residential — and the courts are largely upholding its decisions. For developers, this is reassuring. For communities seeking to challenge large-scale development, the legal bar is rising.

The Covenant Breakthrough: A Landmark for Property Development The most technically significant judgment of the period is [2026] IEHC 153] — GUIA Properties Limited v The Paddocks Killeline Management Company. Mr Justice Nolan delivered the first written judgment in Ireland on the discharge of a freehold covenant under Section 50 of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009. The case involved a plot in Newcastle West, County Limerick, subject to a restrictive covenant limiting use to a single dwelling. GUIA Properties sought to discharge the covenant to enable development of 10 houses under existing planning permission. The court granted the discharge, finding that development had accelerated in surrounding areas and the proposed development aligned with local planning objectives. This judgment is a practical tool for developers holding land encumbered by historic covenants — and there is a lot of such land in Ireland.

  Social Housing Pipeline: The Part 8 Signal from South Dublin
  South Dublin County Council's Part 8 application for 29 social and affordable homes at Castlefield Avenue, Knocklyon, Dublin 16 (application PT8SD359) is the largest residential planning application in the March 1–16 period. Part 8 is the mechanism by which local authorities build on their own land without requiring standard planning permission — instead, the elected council approves the scheme after public consultation. The 29-home mix (8 houses, 4 two-bed apartments, and 17 apartments in a two/three-storey block) on an 8,034 sq metre site in D16 is a meaningful addition to the social housing pipeline in one of Dublin's more established suburbs. The public consultation period runs to 21 April 2026.

The Radar: Three Signals Worth Watching

Signal 1: The Clontarf D03 Premium Cluster Two transactions on adjacent streets in Clontarf, Dublin 3 — 150 Castle Avenue at €2.27 million and 27 Kincora Road at €1.525 million — both registered in the same week of February 2026. The D03 eircode prefix (Clontarf, Marino, East Wall) is emerging as a consistent high-value cluster, with the coastal strip commanding premiums well above the Dublin median of €460,000. When two properties on the same postcode transact at 3–5x the national median in the same week, it signals a micro-market with its own supply/demand dynamics. Watch for further D03 transactions above €1.5 million in the coming months — if the cluster holds, it will attract developer attention for any remaining large sites in the area.

Signal 2: Rural One-Off Housing — Donegal Leads the Nation Donegal County Council received 36 planning applications in the first 16 days of March — more than any other authority in the country, and more than double Tipperary (25) or Galway County (22). The vast majority are one-off rural dwellings with septic tanks and domestic garages. This is not a new trend, but the volume is striking: Donegal's rural housing activity suggests strong demand for owner-built homes in the north-west, driven by remote working, returning diaspora, and land availability. Watch for whether this translates into completed units in the 2026 and 2027 CSO housing completion data — rural one-off housing has historically had a high attrition rate between permission and completion.

Signal 3: The Dublin 8 Commercial Regeneration Bet The €5.95 million transaction for a hotel development at Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8 — registered in February 2026 — is a significant commercial bet on the continued regeneration of the D08 corridor. Fumbally Lane sits in the Liberties/Newmarket area, which has seen substantial investment in food, hospitality, and creative industries over the past decade. A hotel development at this price point implies a developer with conviction about Dublin 8's trajectory as a destination. Watch for planning applications in the D08 area over the coming months — if the Fumbally Lane buyer is moving to develop, a permission application should follow within 12–18 months.

View Full Report →

The Deep Dive: Two Stories Behind the Numbers

This month, two entities stand out for deeper investigation: the Galway bulk transaction that represents the largest single deal in the period, and the South Dublin County Council social housing scheme that represents the most significant planning application. Together, they illustrate the two parallel housing markets operating in Ireland in 2026 — the institutional/bulk market and the state-delivered social housing pipeline.

Goirtín Murrough, Galway — Ireland's Largest Registered Transaction This Period

The 32-unit residential development at Goirtín Murrough, Dublin Road, Galway — registered on 5 February 2026 for €11,596,998 VAT-exclusive — is the single largest transaction in the 2026 year-to-date register. The development is described as "New Dwelling house/Apartment" and the VAT-exclusive treatment confirms it is a new build. The Murrough area of Galway city sits on the eastern approach along the Dublin Road, an area that has seen significant residential development over the past decade as Galway's housing market has expanded outward from the city centre.

Metric	Value	Context
Transaction price (VAT-excl.)	€11,596,998	Largest single transaction in period
Units in transaction	32	Addresses 1–32 Goirtín Murrough
Implied per-unit price (ex-VAT)	~€362,000	Galway county avg: €376,420
Transaction date	5 Feb 2026	Registered March 2026 (4-6 week lag)
Property type	Residential	New build — VAT-exclusive
Comparable Galway range	€315k–€415k	Individual units, same period
Bulk discount implied	~3–4%	vs individual market value

Reading Between the Lines: Who Buys 32 Units at Once? A VAT-exclusive bulk purchase of 32 new-build units in Galway at approximately €362,000 per unit points to one of three buyer types: a local authority or approved housing body acquiring social/affordable stock; an institutional landlord building a private rental portfolio; or a large employer or institutional investor acquiring staff accommodation. The modest discount to individual market value (approximately 3–4%) is consistent with a motivated seller (developer needing to clear inventory) and a buyer with certainty of funds. The absence of an eircode on the transaction record is unusual and may indicate the development was not yet fully registered with An Post at time of sale. Watch for planning records and tenancy registrations for this address in the coming months — they will reveal the buyer's intent.

The question for 2026: will the Galway bulk market see further transactions of this scale? The county's 192 transactions YTD at an average of €376,420 suggest healthy demand, and Galway City Council's planning pipeline includes multiple apartment schemes. If institutional buyers are returning to the market — as the DWS story suggests nationally — Galway's new-build pipeline could see further bulk sales before year-end.

Castlefield Avenue, Knocklyon, Dublin 16 — The State Builds

South Dublin County Council's Part 8 application for 29 social and affordable homes at Castlefield Avenue, Old Knocklyon Road, Dublin 16 (application PT8SD359) is the most significant planning application in the March 1–16 period. The scheme — on SDCC-owned land — proposes a mixed tenure development of 8 three-bedroom houses, 4 two-bedroom apartments, and 17 apartments (including 1 studio, 8 one-bed, 4 two-bed, and 4 three-bed) across a site of 8,034 square metres. The D16 X7R8 eircode places it in the established Knocklyon suburb, adjacent to existing residential estates.

Metric	Value	Context
Application number	PT8SD359	South Dublin County Council
Total homes proposed	29	Mixed tenure social & affordable
Site area	8,034 sq m	SDCC-owned land
Application type	Part 8	Local authority own-land mechanism
Received date	5 Mar 2026	Public consultation to 21 Apr 2026
Location	D16 X7R8	Knocklyon, established suburb
Unit mix	8 houses + 21 apts	Studios to 3-bed

  Why It Matters: Part 8 as a Housing Delivery Tool
  Part 8 of the Planning and Development Act allows local authorities to develop on their own land through a council vote rather than standard planning permission — a faster route to delivery. South Dublin County Council's use of this mechanism for a 29-home mixed-tenure scheme in Knocklyon is significant for two reasons: first, it demonstrates that SDCC is actively using its land bank for social and affordable delivery rather than disposal; second, the D16 location — one of Dublin's more established and expensive suburbs — signals a deliberate policy of mixed-income integration rather than concentrating social housing in peripheral locations. The public consultation period runs to 21 April 2026. Watch for the council vote in Q2 2026 — if approved, construction could begin before year-end.

The question for Q2 2026: will the council vote approve the scheme, and will any objections during the public consultation period delay the timeline? The scheme has undergone Appropriate Assessment screening and EIA screening — both concluded no significant effects — which removes two common grounds for legal challenge.

Key People This Period

Name	Role	Notable Activity	Connections
Stefan Hoops	CEO, DWS	Overseeing €220m Dún Laoghaire apartment sale — DWS's largest Irish residential exit	Deutsche Bank subsidiary; €1 trillion AUM globally
Colin Richardson	CBRE Ireland	Forecasting €800m+ residential investment transactions in 2026 — double 2025 levels	CBRE Ireland; key institutional market intelligence
Humphreys J.	High Court Judge	Dismissed data centre planning challenge [2026] IEHC 156 — upheld An Coimisiún Pleanála	Also delivered [2026] IEHC 137 planning JR
Nolan J.	High Court Judge	Delivered first written judgment on covenant discharge under 2009 Act — [2026] IEHC 153	GUIA Properties v Paddocks Killeline; landmark for property development
GUIA Properties Limited	Property Developer	Secured discharge of freehold covenant to enable 10-house development in Newcastle West, Limerick	[2026] IEHC 153; Nautic Building Company (in liquidation)

One to Watch: The Fumbally Lane Hotel Development

Hotel Development, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8

Property ID: a3fe09df098fdd6c | County: Dublin | Type: Commercial | Eircode: D08 area | Transaction: 16 Feb 2026

Metric	Value
Transaction price	€5,950,379
Property type	Commercial
Description	Hotel Development
Location	Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8
VAT-exclusive	No
Full market price	Yes

What they do: Fumbally Lane is a short street in the Liberties/Newmarket area of Dublin 8, adjacent to the Coombe and the emerging creative/hospitality quarter around Newmarket Square. The transaction at €5.95 million for a hotel development site represents a significant commercial bet on Dublin 8's continued transformation from a traditional working-class inner-city area to a mixed-use destination quarter.

Why it matters: Dublin 8 has been one of the most actively regenerating parts of the capital over the past decade. The Fumbally area — home to the well-known Fumbally Café and a cluster of creative businesses — has attracted hospitality investment at a pace that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. A hotel development at this price point implies a developer with strong conviction about Dublin 8's trajectory as a visitor destination. The D08 eircode area also includes the Liberties, Kilmainham, and Rialto — all of which are seeing residential price appreciation (34 Synge Street sold for €1.795 million in the same period). The commercial and residential markets in D08 are moving in the same direction.

The number that matters: €5.95 million for a hotel development site in Dublin 8 — equivalent to approximately 30 times the median Dublin residential transaction price. That multiple tells you this is not a speculative punt; it is a calculated development play by someone who has done the numbers on hotel room rates, occupancy, and construction costs in this specific micro-location. Watch for a planning application for this site within 12–18 months.

The Broader Picture: Courts, Companies & The Week Ahead

The Irish Courts

The High Court delivered 24 judgments in the first half of March 2026, with a notable concentration of planning and property-related cases. The most significant for the development sector is the dismissal of a challenge to a data centre planning permission in Clare — a ruling that clears the legal path for a development type that has faced sustained opposition. Separately, the first written judgment on the discharge of a freehold covenant under the 2009 Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act provides a practical new tool for developers holding land encumbered by historic restrictions.

Citation	Parties	Subject	Why It Matters
[2026] IEHC 156	Doyle & Ors v An Coimisiún Pleanála [No.3]	Data centre planning permission — climate/EIA challenge	Challenge dismissed; planning commission upheld; clears data centre pipeline
[2026] IEHC 153	GUIA Properties v Paddocks Killeline Management	Freehold covenant discharge — 10-house development, Newcastle West, Limerick	First written judgment under Section 50 LCLRA 2009; landmark for developers
[2026] IEHC 137	Condon v An Coimisiún Pleanála [No.2]	Planning judicial review — ongoing challenge	Continued pressure on planning commission from judicial review applicants
[2026] IEHC 135	Rural Residents Wind Aware v An Coimisiún Pleanála [I] [No.2]	Wind energy planning challenge	Challenge dismissed; supports renewable energy planning pipeline
[2026] IEHC 140	Charles Kelly Limited v Companies Act 2014	Companies Act application — High Court	Corporate governance matter; Charleton J. presiding

  The Planning Commission Under the Microscope
  An Coimisiún Pleanála — Ireland's national planning authority — faced at least four separate High Court challenges in the first half of March 2026 alone, spanning data centres, wind energy, and residential development. In each case, the court upheld the commission's decisions. This pattern of sustained legal challenge followed by judicial endorsement has two effects: it validates the commission's decision-making process, and it raises the cost and time burden for objectors. For developers, the message is that An Coimisiún Pleanála's decisions are legally robust. For communities, the message is that judicial review is an expensive and increasingly difficult route to blocking development.

Property Markets & Plans

The commercial property market showed selective activity in the period, with the €5.95 million Fumbally Lane hotel development the standout transaction. On the planning side, 231 applications were received in the first 16 days of March, with the planning pipeline dominated by rural one-off housing (particularly in Donegal) and the SDCC social housing scheme in Knocklyon. The residential investment market is being shaped by the DWS Dún Laoghaire sale process, which CBRE Ireland says is a harbinger of a much more active institutional market in 2026.

Location	Type	Detail	Signal
Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8	Commercial transaction	Hotel development site — €5.95m registered Feb 2026	D08 regeneration momentum
Castlefield Ave, Knocklyon, D16	Planning application	29 social/affordable homes on SDCC land — Part 8 application PT8SD359	State delivery pipeline active
Dún Laoghaire, Dublin	Investment sale process	DWS seeking €220m for two apartment schemes — CBRE Ireland advising	Institutional re-entry signal
Donegal (multiple)	Planning applications	36 applications in 16 days — highest volume of any authority nationally	Rural housing demand strong
Galway (Murrough)	Bulk residential transaction	32 units, €11.6m VAT-excl. — largest single transaction in period	New build supply reaching market

The Week Ahead

The dominant theme of this month's report is the return of institutional capital to the Irish residential market — and the question of whether the planning and legal system can keep pace with the demand it is generating. The DWS €220m Dún Laoghaire sale process will be the most closely watched transaction in the Irish property market for the remainder of Q1 2026. The buyer, when identified, will tell us whether the institutional re-entry is led by domestic or international capital, and whether the appetite is for existing stock or new development. Meanwhile, the February acceleration in transaction volumes — 1,877 deals at an average of €382,914 — suggests the market entered spring 2026 with genuine momentum, not just seasonal noise.

  The Bottom Line
  Ireland's property market in early 2026 is characterised by three simultaneous forces: rising prices in Dublin and the commuter belt, a planning system under legal pressure but largely holding firm, and institutional investors returning to the residential sector after a multi-year absence. The state is also building — South Dublin County Council's Knocklyon scheme is one of dozens of Part 8 applications moving through the system nationally. The risk is that these forces are moving at different speeds: institutional capital can deploy quickly, but planning and construction cannot. The gap between demand and supply is not closing fast enough.

What to Watch:

The DWS Dún Laoghaire sale process: who bids, at what price, and what it signals for the €800m institutional residential market CBRE is forecasting for 2026.
The South Dublin County Council vote on the Castlefield Avenue Part 8 scheme — expected Q2 2026 — and whether any objections during the April consultation period delay the timeline.
March 2026 transaction data when it registers in April/May: will the February acceleration continue, or was it a one-month surge driven by year-end contract completions?

View Full Report →