• Laois house prices expected to rise by 15% in 2022 while Donegal, Roscommon, Co. Sligo, Sligo Town, Carlow and Kilkenny set to go up by 10%

 

• Monaghan registers the lowest predicted house price rise, with a 4% hike forecast

 

• Greystones in Co Wicklow, Model Farm Road and Ballinlough in Cork City named as three most expensive areas nationwide, while Mohill and Ballinamore in Co Leitrim and Granard in Co Longford named the three most affordable areas

 

• Influx of workers with high salaries driving up residential prices across the country

 

County Kildare is set to experience the highest increase in home values in Ireland with a 20% rise in residential property value expected over the next 12 months, according to the 2022 Sunday Times Property Price Guide, a dedicated 32-page supplement sponsored by Bank of Ireland which will be published free with The Sunday Times this Sunday, 16 January.

 

Kildare is followed by Co Laois, with a 15% rise forecasted, while Donegal, Roscommon, Co. Sligo, Sligo Town, Carlow and Kilkenny could all be hit with a 10% increase according to the country’s estate agents. Monaghan will register the lowest price rise, with a 4% hike predicted.

 

Now in its 19^th year, The Sunday Times Property Price Guide is the authoritative guide to the Irish property market, featuring interviews with a number of Ireland’s estate agents who outline their predictions for the year. It also includes a detailed analysis of Dublin property prices.

 

Estate agents across Ireland are predicting the following price increases in residential property values in The Sunday Times Property Price Guide:

 

1. Kildare – 20%
2. Laois – 10%-15%
3. Roscommon – 10%
4. Sligo Town – 10%
5. Co Sligo – 10%
6. Carlow – 10%
7. Donegal – 10%
8. Kilkenny – 10%
9. North Co Tipperary – 8%-10%
10. South Co Wicklow – 8%-10%
11. Longford – 8%-10%
12. Waterford – 8%-10%
13. Offaly – 7.5% to 10%
14. Galway – 2%-10%
15. South Co Tipperary – 7%-9%
16. Cavan – 8%
17. Cork City South – 5%-7.5%
18. Cork City – 7%
19. Mayo – 7%
20. Cork City North – 5-7%
21. Kerry – 5%-7%
22. Meath – 6%
23. Leitrim – 5%-6%
24. East Co Cork – 5%
25. North Co Cork – 5%
26. Limerick City – 5%
27. Limerick – 5%
28. Louth – 5%
29. Clare – 5%
30. Westmeath – 5%
31. Wexford – 5%
32. North Co Wicklow – 5%
33. Monaghan – 4%

 

Nationally, residential property prices were up 13.5% annually in October 2021 — compared to a 0.5% decrease in October 2020 and estate agents across Ireland believe people are looking to re-locate in their home counties, with many others just re-routing — and bringing higher salaries and greater spending power with them. In many counties, that has been an important contributing factor to price hikes in more rural and coastal areas, with remote working a serious factor. Outside Dublin, the average price increase for residential properties in 2021 was 14.6%.

Despite the Mica scandal, border counties of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo saw house prices rise the highest in 2021, coming in at a hefty 24.1% average rise and these values show no sign of slowing down.

Predictably, higher demand means prices have gone up and this is further compounded by many counties experiencing the lowest number of new homes available in decades. The cost of construction has made it more expensive, in some cases, to build a new home than to buy a second-hand one. This has been further amplified by healthcare restrictions curtailing construction work for months on end, the mica scandal and supply chain issues following Brexit and the Suez Canal blockage in March 2021.

The Sunday Times Property Price Guide 2022 reveals that the top 5 most affordable areas for three-bed houses are:

1. Mohill, Co. Leitrim = 118,000
2. Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim = 125,000
3. Granard, Co. Longford = 125,000
4. Leitrim Village, Co. Leitrim = 135,000
5. Letterkenny, Co. Donegal = 140,000-160,000

 

Top five most expensive areas for three-bed houses are:

 

1. Greystones, North Co. Wicklow = 498,000
2. Model Farm Rd., Cork City = 430,000
3. Ballinlough, Cork City = 410,000
4. Blackrock, Cork City South = 395,000
5. Salthill, Galway City = 393,000

 

Patrick O’Donoghue, Primary Researcher for The 2022 Sunday Times Property Price Guide, says: “Buyers are now much more focused and know what they are looking for, but opportunities come at a premium. Estate agents across Ireland have told us they expect prices to rise significantly as the landscape of remote work and the need for space becomes a reality for many people. People are beginning to realise the possibilities of working remotely and living in new surroundings across the country. While coastal counties are set to perform well there is also serious signs of values rising in counties close to the Capital. While 2021 taught us to expect the unexpected – Irish estate agents are seeing rises across the board for residential properties.”

 

For full details, pick up a copy of The Sunday Times this weekend

or online at: www.thetimes.ie.

 

www.thetimes.ie

@SunTimesIreland

 

 

NoCo, Ireland’s largest hybrid workspace network, has appointed Adam Hankin as its new Head of Sales for the UK and Irish markets.

 

Adam will assume responsibility for the commercial function of NoCo as the business continues to increase its presence and deliver year on year growth as it enters new markets including Europe and the UK. He will also work to expand NoCo’s portfolio of products on offer to the flexible office and remote working markets in Ireland and the UK.

 

With almost 15 years’ experience leading the commercial arms of businesses across a variety of sectors including MedTech startup, LetsGetChecked, and Wagesstream, an earned wage solutions provider, Adam joins NoCo from his most recent role as Head of Sales with Revolut Ireland. As a result, he has a proven track record of working in similar high-growth company environments and driving business performance across multiple disciplines.

 

Adam is a graduate of Nottingham Trent University and has a passion for leading teams to achieve commercial success, personal success, and career growth.

 

Commenting on Adam’s appointment, Brian Moran, co-founder of NoCo, said:

 

“On behalf of all the team at NoCo, I’m delighted to welcome Adam into his new role as Head of Sales for the UK and Ireland. I’m looking forward to working alongside someone with his level of expertise and I have no doubt that he will bring a wealth of valuable insights that will help NoCo continue to thrive and grow both in Ireland and further afield. It’s an exciting time to join the business as we are experiencing a period of rapid growth and the demand for NoCo’s services continues to increase. He will be a welcome addition to the team.”

 

NoCo is Ireland’s largest workspace network provider with remote working hubs in over 350+ locations nationwide. Its online platform service enables companies of any scale or size to connect their team to a network of ‘close to home’ workspaces across Ireland via one membership, one monthly invoice and one point of contact. A key part of the membership is the option of utilising open or shared workspaces in any of the locations on the network or alternatively, clients can have their own bespoke dedicated office network created for them.

 

 

For more information on NoCo visit  www.nocoworkspace.com

Follow NoCo on Twitter @NoCoWorkspace

 

• 26% of Connaught SMEs will invest over €50,000 each over the next 12 months

 

• 40% of Connaught businesses looking to private equity to fund M&A, MBO or MBI activity

 

 

The significant majority of businesses in Connaught (80%) say they are either confident or very confident about their business prospects for the remainder of the year and into 2022 according to a new report from Bibby Financial Services Ireland, a leading provider of financial support and funding solutions to Irish SMEs.

 

The statistics show that 25% of businesses in Connaught are planning to invest over €50,000 ver the next year, with the top three areas of investment identified as:

• Staff training and development (32%)
• Digital technology and IT (32%)
• Machinery and equipment (36%)

 

Meanwhile, over a third (36%) of SMEs in Connaught are planning to invest in new machinery and equipment over the next year, with 64% identifying new customers as a top area for growth, compared to 46% in Munster and 55% in Leinster.

 

As businesses continue to plan for accelerating profit, many are turning to alternative finance to fund growth. However, just 20% of Connaught SMEs are considering M&A, MBO or MBI activity over the coming months, compared to 43% in Munster, 37% in Leinster and 40% in Ulster. 40% of these Connaught SMEs, meanwhile, are considering private equity to funds any of these proposed transactions.

 

Notwithstanding growing optimism, key fiscal and operational challenges still remain for Connaught’s SMEs. 28% of businesses in the region had to write off bad debt worth over €14,000 since the pandemic began, while 30% of Connaught companies say it is taking between five and six weeks to get paid.

 

Key findings show:

• 28% of SMEs in Connaught are concerned about rising business costs compared to 32% in Leinster and 30% in Munster
• Just 16% of SMEs’ suppliers in Connaught went into administration compared to 33% in Munster and 29% in Leinster over the past year demonstrating resilience through the pandemic

 

 

Nationally, the Bibby Financial Services Ireland report also states that almost four out of ten (38%) SME’s say they will require additional funding into 2022 as they look beyond the pandemic and return to growth.

 

Such funding will be vital to ensure businesses can deal with inflation, overcome supply chain disruptions, ramp up recruitment to fulfil demand, and invest. As a result, considering solutions from the private sector that protect against bad debt and offer access to working capital will provide SMEs with certainty of payment and sustainable sources of liquidity.

 

The pandemic has also offered businesses an opportunity to reflect, with some entrepreneurs and business owners deciding it’s time to restructure, refocus, innovate and grow, while others have come to the conclusion that it’s time to exit their business totally. Over a third businesses (36%) nationwide say they are considering merger and acquisitions opportunities in the coming months, while one in ten (9%) SME owners are considering a management buy-in, rising to 19% for wholesale and 33% for transportation businesses. When it comes to funding transactions, SMEs owners consider private equity, business loans and invoice finance as the top three ways to finance merger or acquisition activity.

 

Stephen McCarthy, Head of Business Development at Bibby Financial Services Ireland, says that although times have certainly been more testing than ever before, he believes Connaught SMEs are now on the cusp of a strong recovery as we look towards 2022.

 

“SMEs generally are showing significant resilience after such a turbulent few months, and are remaining positive despite the challenges that still lie ahead. Our new report shows there is genuine light at the end of the tunnel both for businesses and the economy. The time has come to begin to move forward with confidence.

However, as businesses recover and get back on their feet, its concerning that 28% say their greatest challenge is rising business costs, while 38% of SMES say they will require additional funding into 2022. As a result, the private and public sectors need to remain focused on providing any required financial support to enable SMEs to do what they do best – drive employment, boost output, and fulfil consumer demand.

This help comes in many forms, be it through the provision of funding to unlock cashflow, supporting businesses in overcoming the complexities of trading overseas in a post-Brexit world or helping SMEs to understand changing customer behaviours and transitioning to digital operating models. The research ultimately shows that a diverse range of financial tools including invoice finance will help companies grow and prosper into 2022.”

 

Winner revealed on one-hour television special on RTÉ One

 

‘We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland since 1958’ by Fintan O’Toole has been announced as the ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2021’.

 

The six book titles that competed for the accolade were category winners from the recent An Post Irish Book Awards, and the overall winner was revealed as part of a one-hour special television show aired on RTÉ One, hosted by Oliver Callan. O’Toole’s book won the ‘Odgers Berndtson Non-Fiction Book of the Year’ at the recent An Post Irish Book Awards.

 

‘We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland since 1958’ has been forty years in the making. Described as “a clear-eyed, myth-dispelling masterpiece that combines the personal with the political,” the book has been lauded as O’Toole’s finest work to date.

 

Polemicist, literary editor, journalist and drama critic for The Irish Times since 1988, O’Toole has been described as Ireland’s leading public intellectual and has been recognised as such with a string of prestigious awards to his credit, including The Orwell Prize for Journalism and the European Press Prize in 2017 and on three occasions, the NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards Broadsheet Columnist of the Year. His book ‘A History of Ireland in 100 Objects’ won an Irish Book Award in 2013.

 

Born in Crumlin and educated at Coláiste Chaoimhín and University College Dublin, he now lives in America where he is a visiting lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton University. In 2017 he was commissioned by Faber and Faber to write the official biography of Seamus Heaney.

 

The ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2021’ was chosen by a combination of an online public vote and a judging panel comprising of:

 

• Maria Dickenson: General Manager of Dubray Books (Chairperson of the judging panel)
• Madeleine Keane: Literary Editor of the Sunday Independent
• Marian T Keyes: Senior Executive Librarian with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Public Libraries
• Simon Trewin: Leading UK literary agent. Runs Simon Trewin Creative Ltd
• David McRedmond: CEO of An Post

 

The six nominated titles for the ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year 2021’ were:

 

• Your One Wild and Precious Life – Maureen Gaffney
• A Hug For You – David King, illustrated by Rhiannon Archard
• Aisling and the City – Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
• Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? – Séamas O’Reilly
• We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958 – Fintan O’Toole
• Beautiful World, Where Are You? – Sally Rooney

 

 

In case you missed it, you can now watch the

‘An Post Book of the Year’ TV programme on the RTÉ player

 

 

Maria Dickenson, Chairperson of the judging panel for the An Post Irish Book of the Year, said: “In the opinion of the five-person judging panel, “We Don’t Know Ourselves’ is a book that will remain important for a very long time – a reflection of who we are and where we came from. Truly, this is a book for the ages. Fintan O’Toole understands Ireland in a visceral way – it isn’t just politics, but culture and popular culture. He ‘gets’ all of Ireland and its turbulent history during his lifetime.”

 

Commenting on this year’s winner, David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, said: “I think it’s an astonishing book, fresh and passionate. Deeply moving but often funny and wry, a chronicle for our times. The most remarkable Irish non-fiction book I’ve read in the last 10 years.”

 

Fintan O’Toole, winner of the ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year’, said: “To have a book that you hope speaks to people outside of a particular category, I suppose it’s trying to recognise something that maybe hits a chord more generally with Irish people with where Ireland is right now. Also, unlike other books I’ve written in the past, this one is pretty personal – there’s quite a lot of ‘me’ in it, so it feels a bit more vulnerable and therefore you’re just a bit more grateful if people like it!”

 

 

Previous winners of this esteemed ‘Irish Book of the Year’ award are:

 

• A Ghost in the Throat – Doireann Ní Ghríofa
• Overcoming – Vicky Phelan
• Solar Bones – Mike McCormack
• Atlas of the Irish Revolution – John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and Dr. John Borgonovo
• Asking for it – Louise O’Neill
• Academy Street – Mary Costello
• Staring at Lakes – Michael Harding
• The Spinning Heart – Donal Ryan
• Solace – Belinda McKeon

 

For further information, log on to the An Post Irish Book Awards website or social media channels:

 

www.anpostirishbookawards.ie

 

Facebook: @AnPostIBAS

 

Instagram: @anpost_irishbookawards

 

Twitter: @AnPostIBAS

 

For a range of reading recommendations, check out www.anpost.com/readerswanted

• Agreement with Enet gives Fastcom access to 350,000 potential premises in regional towns across Ireland on the SIRO fibre network

 

• Fastcom now enhanced to deliver broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second to more homes and businesses

 

Enet, Ireland’s largest open-access network operator, has today announced an agreement worth up to €5 million with Fastcom. Through this new partnership, Enet is delivering Fastcom access to SIRO’s fibre infrastructure meaning they can facilitate high-speed broadband to 350,000 potential premises in regional towns across Ireland.

 

The agreement will deliver speeds of up to 1Gbps and will ensure further competition in the broadband market by giving Fastcom access to additional locations equipped with gigabit technology. Through this, Enet will enable Fastcom to provide the fastest possible broadband speeds to more communities across Ireland.

 

Cormac Ryan, Commercial Director with Enet, said: “We are delighted to have agreed this partnership with Fastcom which provides them with access to the SIRO network. This will offer them the opportunity to deliver high-speed broadband to an increasing number of regional locations. We are delighted to be working alongside Fastcom to ensure our investments in cutting-edge technology benefit more people across the country.”

 

Lorraine Gibbons, Managing Director of Fastcom, said: “We are delighted to announce this deal and to continue our ongoing relationship with Enet. This enables us to expand our product portfolio with access to the nationwide SIRO network and, as an independent broadband provider, it means we can offer the best possible solution for any customer in any location. Demand for gigabit broadband is increasing all the time and now, with the availability of SIRO services, we can offer this to our ever-growing business and residential customer base throughout the country.”

 

Ronan Whelan, Chief Commercial Officer of SIRO, added: “Since our foundation, SIRO’s objective has been to expand access across Ireland to reliable and resilient fibre broadband. Today’s announcement furthers that ambition and brings Gigabit connectivity to the heart of even more Irish homes and businesses – allowing them to do life different.”