The firm’s standings were confirmed by Experian’s MarketIQ UK and Republic of Ireland M&A Review 2017, based on M&A and equity capital market transactions announced between 1 January 2017 and 30 December 2017.

The top legal advisers by volume are named as follows:

Mark Ward, head of M&A at A&L Goodbody, said: “We have seen an uplift in the overall number of M&A transactions in Ireland last year. This is mainly due to the continued improvement in the Irish economy which is increasingly attractive to investors.

“However, my view is that uncertainty over Brexit and the changing US market meant that this growth was lower than expected, particularly in the early part of 2017. I see this uncertainty gradually lifting in 2018 and I expect much more activity this year, particularly in mid-market transactions both domestically and internationally.

“We are also likely to see the same sectors of pharma and financial services leading the way in 2018.”

Feargal Brennan, head of ByrneWallace’s corporate team, welcomed the firm’s top ten ranking for a second consecutive year.

He added: “We are very confident that our clients will continue to seek out opportunities on the transactional side in the coming year and we are already seeing elevated levels of activity early in 2018.”

Meanwhile, the top advisers by value are: