Iseq: 6,474.62 (+136.10) Settlement date: May 8thBUOYANT EUROPEAN markets helped drive strong buying interest in Irish stocks, with most of the leaders posting good performances yesterday.

Dealers said the Irish market was ahead of its European peers for most of the day, but the index closed after making gains on a par with those in London.

Budget airline Ryanair was one of the star performers. It added 22.3 cent to close at €3.183, a gain of 7.53 per cent. Investors bought close to 10 million shares in the stock on the Dublin market yesterday.

Brokers said the airline's shares advanced as oil prices fell below $113 on world markets.

Financial stocks also did well. AIB gained 45 cent to close at €14, a jump of 3.32 per cent. Over 2.75 million shares in the bank changed hands yesterday.

Close to seven million shares in Anglo Irish Bank were traded in Dublin yesterday.

The bank gained 6.8 cent to close at €9.068.

Building-related stocks also performed well. DIY and merchanting business Grafton gained 24.8 cent to close at €5.398, an increase of 4.82 per cent.

International building materials group CRH broke the €25 mark to close at €25.122, a gain of 2.29 per cent. Just over one million CRH units changed hands in Dublin yesterday.

Insulation group Kingspan added 34.3 cent to close at €7.793, an increase of 4.6 per cent.

Investors bought a total of almost two million shares in the stock yesterday.

The one exception in the sector was Readymix, which saw its stock drop by over 12 per cent. The company said earlier this week it expected to make a loss in the first quarter.

Drinks group CC closed 7.4 cent up despite data showing off-licence sales in Britain in April were 20 per down on last year.