Irish housing prices stable in February, before coronavirus disruption

Irish residential property prices rose 1.1% in February from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, but activity and listings appear to have collapsed since then after a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. While the February data suggested a continued stabilisation in the market in the first two months of the year, Ireland introduced a series of restrictions in March to contain the virus, including a stay-home order, in place until May 5. Activity has collapsed as a result, Davy Stockbrokers chief economist Conall MacCoille wrote in a note on Friday, with 700 transactions added to the state's property price register in the week to April 15, close to 40% lower than the weekly average in January and February.