MARKET REPORT: The Irish stock market gained ground yesterday, helped by a strong performance from CRH. The building materials group added 32 cents, or 2 per cent to 16.70, having briefly traded as high as 16.99, in the wake of its recent Dutch acquisition. It was also helped by positive outlook statements from two of its peers, Hanson and Martin Marietta.

Dealers said a better tone among European life assurers gave a boost to Irish Life & Permanent, which closed 13 cents higher at 9.80.

Bank of Ireland added 15 cents to €10.40 despite the prospect of a strike in its information technology division today, while Anglo Irish Bank was up 16 cents at 8.18. However, AIB, which reported first-half figures earlier in the week, continued to drift, shedding eight cents to 12.28.

Elan added a further 11 cents to 4.25 as the shares played catch-up in Dublin with Wednesday's overnight rally in New York.

Waterford Wedgwood gained just one cent to €0.27 as shareholders at its annual meeting were told the company had seen some signs of an economic improvement in June and July although the outlook remained uncertain.

Ryanair was also little changed, adding just one cent to 6.20, ahead of the release of first-quarter results on Tuesday. Company broker Davy is forecasting net income of 38.6 million, pretty much flat on last year's levels, while earnings per share are expected to show a rise of 10 per cent year-on-year.

Other movers yesterday included DCC, which continued to drift lower, losing 30 cents to 9.95, and hotel group Jurys Doyle, which lost 15 cents to €8.40.

Meanwhile, another company departed the market yesterday with the cancellation of Navan Mining's listing.