News

07-01-2026

Government must honour commitment on apprentice pay

SIPTU has called on the Government to honour a commitment to present legalisation to tackle the practice of paying apprentices less than the national minimum wage, in order to combat youth poverty and ensure there is enough skilled workers to carry out major state infrastructure projects including

View

06-01-2026

Plans to build 60,000 homes a year rubbished by construction experts

Plans to build 60,000 homes per year until 2030 have been all but dismissed by the Construction Industry Federation over a lack of skilled workers and serviced sites, writes Ken Murray. Conor O’Connell, its director of housing, planning and development, warned yesterday that all the

05-01-2026

Parts of Clare to be impacted by Uisce Éireann's largest-ever water project in Ireland

Uisce Éireann has formally lodge a planning application seeking permission to develop a new water supply project in the eastern and midland regions of the country with the project set to impact parts of County Clare. The State utility says the project, if approved, will be the largest-ever

23-12-2025

Plans for 170 homes at former Vita Cortex site approved following appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála

Plans for 170 homes in Cork City have been approved following more than a dozen appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála. Cork City Council gave the green light in August for a new large-scale residential development adjacent to Musgrave Park, which the developers said would 'rejuvenate' the

23-12-2025

New Dart carriages to replace old fleet in service since 1984 after €670m investment

An order of new electric Dart carriages will fully replace the old fleet, which has been in service since 1984. The order for 100 carriages complements two previous orders, bringing the total investment in new electric-powered Dart trains to approximately €670 million. The new carriages will

22-12-2025

'Challenging' for Govt to meet 2030 housing target - Central Bank

The Central Bank has said it will be "challenging" for the Government to meet its target of building 300,000 homes by the end of 2030. The bank modestly increased its forecast for residential construction over the coming years. It said it anticipated 33,000 homes would be built this year, 37,000

19-12-2025

Drop in skilled trades stalling Ireland's housing goals, report says

There has been a modest rise in new home completions over the past year, but the number of construction starts has remained subdued, and homes are taking longer to build. The latest Housing Monitor report from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) shows that commencement activity is at

18-12-2025

Cairn Homes expected on site in Blarney in January to begin €1.2bn housing development

A second planning application linked to the largest house-building project in Blarney’s history has been lodged by Clockstrike Ltd as part of a €1.2bn multi-phase expansion of the historic Cork village. Clockstrike, linked to Cork venture capitalist Finbarr O’Leary, is seeking

17-12-2025

Revealed: The most in-demand professionals among prospective employers during 2025

Construction-related workers were the most in-demand professionals among prospective employers during 2025 amid increasing demand for housing and infrastructure, new data from hiring platform IrishJobs shows. Project managers were the most sought-after professionals, according to the firm, with

16-12-2025

Cork council to go ahead with €8.2m redevelopment of Shandon Butter Market

Cork City Council is pressing ahead with an €8.2m redevelopment of Shandon’s Butter Market and Weighmaster’s House but has admitted “timeframes are tight” ahead of an expected 2028 completion date. It has gone out to tender for a range of consultancy services associated

15-12-2025

Planning permission granted for 285 homes in Limerick

Planning permission has been granted for the construction of 285 cost rental and social homes at The Gasworks site in Limerick. An application by the Land Development Agency has been approved by Limerick City and County Council, and the LDA will now proceed with plans to commence construction on

Career Advice

O’Neill & Brennan’s Newsletter