Activity in the construction sector is at its lowest level in 18 months, after a year of growth in 2014.

Construction activity in Ireland rose sharply again in December, as further gains in new business were made by a number of firms.

The ISEQ index of Irish shares fell by 5.55 points to 6817.74 today.

The ISEQ index of shares closed down 6.11 at 6572.43 today.

Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index survey data for June shows further growth for the Irish construction economy.