Ireland’s construction industry is leading Europe. The latest forecasts from EY Ireland for Euroconstruct, an independent forecasting network active in 19 European countries, confirm that Irish housing completions are expected to reach 40,000 in 2026, up from 36,284 in 2025 and the highest annual output since 2011. Overall Irish construction output is forecast to grow 5.3% this year, more than double the Euroconstruct regional average of 2.0%. For C-suite leaders, this is an environment of exceptional opportunity.

The EY findings are compelling, and the trajectory they map is one the sector is positioned to capitalise on. Three dimensions define the outlook: an accelerating residential pipeline pointing toward 47,000 completions by 2028, a non-residential sector navigating recalibration while education, health and industrial segments grow, and an infrastructure investment agenda that is both a critical enabler and a major source of forward workload for construction projects across the country.

The residential data sets the tone. The forecast rise from 36,284 completions in 2025 to 40,000 in 2026 represents a 20.4% year-on-year gain, reflecting sustained investment and the cumulative effect of planning reforms. Completions are expected to reach 43,000 in 2027 and 47,000 in 2028, placing Ireland among the strongest construction markets in Europe alongside Poland, the UK and Portugal. EY identifies Ireland as the fastest-growing market in the Euroconstruct area, backed by strong public investment and steady demand.

Simon MacAllister, EY Partner and Irish member of the Euroconstruct network, captured the ambition and challenge clearly: the forecasts point to a very positive trajectory, but the key challenge remains sustained delivery. The sector must convert permissions and commencements into homes, depending heavily on timely delivery of enabling infrastructure, particularly water, energy and transport. MacAllister identified planning reform, infrastructure activation, apartment viability and construction capacity as the four pillars on which the sustainability of this growth depends.

To capitalise on this forecast window, leaders across the Irish construction industry should act on three fronts. Civil engineering and infrastructure firms should align forward order strategies with the public sector pipeline, positioning early for enabling work that unlocks housing delivery at scale. Developers and contractors should accelerate engagement on apartment viability and offsite delivery. Boards should monitor construction inflation risk from Middle East energy price volatility and build cost escalation provisions into all contracts running to 2028.

Ireland’s construction sector is performing at a level no other European market can currently match. The Euroconstruct data confirms output growth of 11.7% in 2025, with cumulative growth of 17.3 percentage points forecast to 2028. Organisations that invest in capacity, sustain delivery momentum and engage with the infrastructure and planning agenda will be best placed to define what Irish construction excellence looks like for the rest of this decade.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)