MEMBERS OF the IPAV hold their annual knees-up in Malahide this weekend with auctioneers from all over the country getting together to discuss the state of the market.

The two-day conference is always a lively event, with lots of golf and not too many lectures although this year there should be a good attendance at the session given by Owen O'Neill, head of lending at Anglo-Irish Bank.

This year's guest speaker has been unavoidably detained, due to being sworn in as Taoiseach yesterday, but in his place he is sending Brian Lenihan, the new Minister for Finance, who should be more than a match for auctioneers.