New figures released today show that €350m worth of development land has been sold in the Irish market in the first three months of the year.

A smart-parking initiative has been launched in Cork as hurling legend Jimmy Barry Murphy prepares, tonight, to light up the city for Christmas.

Estimates of a bumper year of Irish hotel purchases look set to be met, with figures showing nearly €650m having been spent on such transactions in the first nine months of the year.

The occupier sectors of the Irish commercial property market, namely the office, retail and industrial sectors, experienced a slowdown in transactional activity during the months of July and August, according to a new report.

Signs of the re-emergence of the commercial property sector which have been evident in Dublin are finally beginning to appear in other regions as the pace of provincial transactions starts to gather pace.

The commercial property market has seen its highest level of investment in a single quarter and is on course for a record-breaking annual total, according to research.

High street vacancy rates in all but three urban centres rose in the last six months, while rents in Dublin city centre continued to climb in line with increased demand.

Rising rents, falling vacancy rates and supply shortages characterise the Dublin commercial property market, according to figures released yesterday.

Ireland’s commercial property sector is set to grow significantly this year, with the equivalent of more than half of 2013’s total investment having already been spent in the first quarter of this year.

Property consultant CBRE predicts that recovery in commercial property sales will spread from Dublin to the rest of the country this year.

A marked return of cranes to the Dublin skyline and a 15% jump in prime office rents are anticipated this year, as momentum picks up in the commercial property market.

The high levels of investment activity already seen in the Irish commercial property sector this year, are expected to continue during the autumn months, with transactional activity involving pubs and hotels set to figure strongly.

The commercial property market is predicted to stabilise this year.

MORE than €100 million was invested in the Irish commercial property market during the first half of this year – about €10m more than the levels for the whole of last year and highlighting a potential recovery in the sector.