Following a protracted gestation period the joyful news finally reaches us of the arrival of Sotheby's International Realty in Ireland. Delighted to be able to finally introduce the world to his new baby, managing director David Ashmore (formerly director of Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes and Estates) has been closely guarding the exclusive news of the arrival of the international real estate agency since last October.

He will head Ireland Sotheby's International Realty with seasoned Sotheby's agent Bill Montgomery taking up the role of chairman. Based in Dublin, the business is now up and running, and a city centre premises is expected to follow by summer. Ashmore, who has been on "garden leave" from Sherry Fitz since late last year, is no doubt keen to hit the ground running as Easter is upon us, and the busy property selling season will begin in earnest thereafter. He says the initial response to the new brand here has been encouraging and a number of selling campaigns are planned in the coming months.

Ashmore has a strong track record selling high-end properties to the overseas market, and it’s likely this is where he and Montgomery will continue to focus with their “boutique” offering. More than 50 per cent of country homes sell to overseas buyers, while dollar and sterling buyers also dominate the top end of the market in the €5 million-plus bracket.

Mind you, there’s unlikely to be a slew of such properties rolling in to Ireland Sotheby’s – it will be a slow build and Ashmore is careful to clarify: “We’re more about exceptional properties than just expensive ones. That’s really where we feel we can add value.” All well and good, but we’re pretty certain they’d still take the expensive ones if they came their way too.