House prices across the country continue to rise except in Dublin where values are dropping slightly, latest figures show.
The average cost of buying a home rose almost 7% last year.
The rise was much slower than the previous year when prices nationally soared by more than 16%.
But the overall figure is skewed by property prices catching up in areas outside the capital.
Last month, house prices in Dublin dipped for the second month in a row, down by 0.5%.
However, prices remain higher than last year.
Dublin apartments rose in value by almost 8% over the year, but the Central Statistics Office has urged caution on the figure, as it is based on a low number of transactions.
Outside the capital, property prices rose by 1.2% in December, making them more than a 10th higher than at the end of the previous year.
Overall, house prices throughout the state remain more than a third cheaper than at the height of the property boom in 2007.
