At last the housebuilders and property people are trailing back from their Christmas holidays in far-flung places, well beyond the original stamping grounds of Leitrim, Cavan and Mayo. These days it's Barbados rather than Belmullet, Switzerland over Swinford, and indeed Dubai over Drimnagh. The new generation of builders - the richest the country has ever seen - know how to enjoy their wealth whether it's in the sun or on the slopes.

Welcome back to Peter and Joe Cosgrave, their brother-in-law Bryan Cullen and in fact all the 29-strong entourage who spent the week after Christmas skiing in Saalbach.

The Gunne family legged it to Barbados to celebrate the engagement of Pat, who now heads up the family business, to Emer Fitzpatrick. On the same island was solicitor Paul Hanby who, along with Paul Newman and Michael Whelan, made a killing out of their huge apartment scheme in the Dublin docklands. Meanwhile, Paul Newman is wending his way home, slowly, from Australia and is not expected back at his desk at Douglas Newman Good until the end of the month.