Reasons for home buyers to be cheerful, but supply is still far short of demand

There are some positive signs of progress in new housing supply, albeit well short of rising market demand. Tommy Barker reports

Cranes stand over the boatyard at Haulbowline Island at sunrise, as work continues at one of the harbour’s key industrial sites. Picture Chani Anderson 

The slow-moving ship or vessel that is Ireland’s housing delivery is turning around, getting its bearings at an increased speed, and with clearer than ever course directions and end destinations mapped out – many of which depend on how choppy the international waters we have to navigate turn between now and the end of this decade.

Driving the ship of state and Programme for Government since the start of 2025, housing and infrastructure delivery was put as a top national priority: along with the current cost of living crisis and economic storm clouds abroad, it still is a critical care issue, with both stressed areas even interlinked at many junctures.