Joe O’Reilly, Castlethorn

The Dundrum Town Centre owner was one of the big beneficiaries from the Department of Education, netting nearly €3.3m for a 2.88 acre site in Sandyford in south Dublin in 2005 and a 3.1-acre site in Adamstown for €1.77m.

Manor Park, Homebuilders

The department paid €5.675m for 1.864 acres owned by MPH subsidiary King of the Castle in Ongar in west Dublin in 2007. The company is owned by Joe Moran and his family after it bought out DCC’s 49% for €181m in 2007. The following year, they sold a three-acre site for a school in Aston Gate in Drogheda, Co Louth, for €2.1m.

Séamus Ross, Menolly

Developer Séamus Ross is probably best-known for claiming that he had paid politician Liam Lawlor about €50,000 to have the address of one of his developments changed from Clondalkin in west Dublin to Lucan. The difference in valuation terms netted the property developer more than €3m. He sold a 0.8-acre site in Littlepace in north Dublin to the department for €800,000 in 2006 and the following year his Menolly Homes sold a 2.5-acre site in Dunboyne, Co Meath to the department for €1.1m.

Michael Cotter

Cotter is best known for Park Develop­ments, but his company, Viscount Securities, sold 2.5 acres in Sandyford to the department for €2.8m in 2006.

O’Brien & O’Flynn

The Cork-based development group sold three acres in Rochestown, Co Cork for just under €4m in 2007.

Newlyn Group

Newlyn Group and its owners, George McGarry, Robert Kehoe and Christopher Dowling, sold 17.33 acres in Greystones, Co Wicklow to the department for nearly €15.3m in 2008 as the value of land crashed.