Research: More than 300,000 empty houses in country

The number of empty houses around the country is somewhere between 301,000 and 352,000, according to research by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.

The research also puts the number of holiday homes somewhere between 49,000 and 73,000.

If these figures are correct, that would put the number of empty houses in the State at around 18% compared to 7.3% in Europe and just over 3% in the UK.

The RIAI wants local authorities to conduct a definitive count on how many houses are currently lying idle.