Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Mr. O'Regan said "there was no conscious attempt on my part, or on the part of the newspaper, to fuel what has been described as the property boom". The Irish Independent, from 2003 to 2008, gave substantial coverage and sponsored and promoted the property awards. In 2004, for example, this is the type of coverage that was over many pages and it was described in 2004 as "A glittering showcase of the cream of Ireland's property and development industries" and "An elite gathering of over 1,000 property professionals witnessed the cream of Ireland's residential and commercial products and services at the glittering Property Awards ceremony this week". The property editor said:

[T]ributes were paid to the outstanding skills and performance of the individuals and firms involved. The winning projects and services provided by our outstanding agencies ably demonstrated the progress and innovation of this sector, which matches, if not surpasses, the high standards globally.

[...]

The relaxed black tie event was a welcome respite for an industry that has worked to full capacity in recent years ... attended by a record 1,000 property professionals with several hundred disappointed.

The awards were followed by a casino evening. The property editor sums up: "This annual awards dinner followed a conference held earlier in the day which predicted the short-term future of the Irish property market and also saw the unveiling of a new addition to the awards - The Irish Property League - which ranked the top ten commercial agents in terms of staff, net worth, turnover, profit, and investment deals at home and overseas."