AIB added 10 cents to €12.50 in the wake of Wednesday's year-end results, Bank of Ireland was up by 15 cents to €10.35 while Irish Life & Permanent added 10 cents to €9.75 and First Active surged by 20 cents to €5.70.

Shares more than recovered the ground lost on Wednesday, buoyed by an upbeat performance in London. The ISEQ index of shares closed nearly 0.8 per cent higher as dealers reported good interest in the leading stocks, most of which gained ground.

Among the financials, only Anglo Irish Bank proved a laggard, closing five cents lower at €6.30.

CRH also managed to notch up some gains, closing 15 cents higher at €11.95 while Ryanair added a more modest three cents to €6.57. Other movers included Viridian, up 22 cents to €7.60, United Drug, which gained 10 cents to €12.90 and Jurys Doyle Group, which added 10 cents to €7.20.

Among the losers were DCC, which shed 17 cents to €9.60, Galen, which lost 15 cents to €5.20, and Paddy Power, off eight cents to €5.17. Glanbia was unchanged at €1.40 despite strong half-year results from Baileys to which it supplies milk for its cream liqueur.

Independent News & Media was the most heavily traded stock on the day, with more than five million shares changing hands although the share price was unchanged at €1.40.

Among the smaller stocks, Alphyra slipped by six cents to €2.55 after Rendina said its €2.70 per share offer for the group was final and would not be increased. Datalex lost a cent to €0.46 after reporting better-than-expected full-year results.