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ARTICLE · 24 JULY 2025

M&A Half Year Review 2025

William Fry LLP
William Fry LLP
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William Fry LLP

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Irish M&A activity proved robust during the first six months of 2025, with deal volume increasing despite an extremely volatile geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop.

IrelandCorporate/Commercial Law
Andrew McIntyre
Andrew McIntyre
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Irish M&A activity proved robust during the first six months of 2025, with deal volume increasing despite an extremely volatile geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop. Value, however, has slipped back due to a slowdown in transformational deals in the country.

The first half of the year saw 236 deals worth €8.8bn announced in Ireland – compared to 227 deals worth €18.0bn during the same period in 2024. These figures are up 4% and down 51% respectively. This reverses the trend seen in overall European M&A in H1 2025, where value is up 1% but volume has decreased by 19% year-on- year.

Despite challenging global headwinds, overall deal volume remained resilient. In particular, the Trump administration's trade tariffs s announced in April had a chilling effect t on M&A activity globally, prompting many dealmakers to pause or postpone transactions. The uncertainty and volatility caused by the US's "Liberation Day", and President Trump's subsequent announcements,

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