Banks recover to see ISEQ rise

Shares in Irish banks recovered well after some significant jitters this morning to leave the ISEQ index of Irish shares 28.59 points to the good on 2,955.78.

Bank of Ireland even managed to add 4c to finish on €1.22. Allied Irish Banks ended up just 5c down at €1.03 and Irish Life & Permanent inched down 3c to €3.04.

In the construction sector, CRH soared 58c to €18.93. Kingspan, by contrast, fell 14c to €5.76.

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary is sure to have mixed feelings this evening as shares in the airline improved 11c to €3.39 as he announced a timetable for his retirement.

Tullow Oil was the other big gain of the day, up 17c to €14.35.

There were some heavy fallers however, including DCC (down 40c to €19.10), Paddy Power (down 35c to €22.90) and Kerry Group (down 15c to €21.40).