It was a mad, mad year

WAS 2005 the year when the craziness went truly mad? Or made? Walford, a Dublin Shrewsbury Road house, sold in summer for a mind-blowing €58 million, on 1.8 acres, and may or may not have development potential.

Barrington's Tower in Carrickmines, with over eight acres, made €36 million and will at least have scope for building on the land, while Belmont on Shrewsbury Road was a straight house purchase of 0.6 of an acre for a mega €30 million.

Skip back just a year, and no single Dublin house made over €9 million in 2004. It seems that a quantum leap was made in 2005, with a clutch of c €9 million sales, the answer seems to be yes, we're mad.