The number of residential properties being built in Clare has seen a seismic increase in the past twelve months.
New figures from the Department of Housing shows the rate of construction activity has almost doubled here in the past year.
A commencement notice is issued to a building control authority such as Clare County Council when a person or business intends to carry out works on a property and are generally regarded as a strong indicator for construction activity.
Last month, twenty commencement notices were issued in Clare, which was the third-highest total in the province behind Limerick and Cork and the eight highest nationwide.
In total, the notices put forward in Clare account for construction work getting underway on 96 new properties, representing a 74% increase on the 55 homes that were being built here in February of 2023.
Over the month, shovels went into the ground for 15 one-off homes in Clare, which is up marginally on last years figure of 13.
So far this year, there have been 189 home starts in Clare, which is already 33% ahead of the activity in the first four months of 2023.
Nationally construction began on 3,699 new homes last month, which was the best February for residential building since records began in 2015.
