Alan O'Driscoll

Ireland bucked a global trend for declining deal activity with a total of 789 deals in 2023, marginally more than the record of 787 in 2022, according to the latest Experian M&A report.

However, there was a fall in activity at the higher end of the market, with the total recorded value of deals in 2023 down by around 27 per cent to €59 billion.

Flynn O’Driscoll advised on 70 deals over the course of the year, ahead of Beauchamps on 69, Arthur Cox on 68, Philip Lee on 55 and Matheson, which tied with Wallace Corporate Counsel on 52.

Further down the table, A&L Goodbody advised on 51 deals, William Fry on 49, Eversheds Sutherland on 39 and McCann FitzGerald on 36.

Alan O’Driscoll, corporate partner at Flynn O’Driscoll, said: “We are very pleased to retain our number one ranking at the top of the Experian league table for the second year in a row. The firm’s top ranking is a reflection of the strength of Flynn O’Driscoll’s M&A teams.

“2023 was a very active year in M&A despite some challenging market conditions. The firm is proud of our talented and hard-working teams and very thankful to all our clients for instructing us on complex and interesting domestic and international transactions. We look forward to another busy year ahead.”