Daft.ie Owner Distilled Acquires Leading Northern Ireland Portal PropertyPal

The Dublin-based marketplace operator Distilled has acquired PropertyPal, Northern Ireland’s leading residential property portal, in a move that unites the island's two most prominent property listing platforms under a single cross-border operator.

Distilled, best known in the real estate sector for running Daft.ie in the Republic of Ireland, will now oversee both PropertyPal and Propertynews, former rivals who merged last year but continue to operate as separate brands. The acquisition marks a significant development in the island’s online property landscape and gives Distilled a dominant presence across both jurisdictions.

PropertyPal CEO Jordan Buchanan will remain in his role, while oversight will come via a newly formed Northern Ireland Board chaired by local entrepreneur Cecil Hetherington, a prominent investor in PropertyPal.

“We are delighted to partner with Distilled as we embark on the next stage of our growth journey,” Hetherington said. “Distilled have a deep understanding of online marketplaces and we share with them a passion for delivering the best possible experience to property... buyers in our respective markets, as well as providing a rich suite of services to property professionals.”

The acquisition further consolidates Distilled’s position a dominant online property player. While Daft.ie has long led the market in the Republic of Ireland, PropertyPal has held that position north of the border despite competition from UK portals Rightmove and Zoopla.

For Distilled CEO Eamonn Fallon, the deal is both strategic and complementary.

“We have long admired the Used Cars NI and PropertyPal businesses and are excited to partner with them in their next phase of growth,” he said. “I'm really impressed with the people in Used Cars NI and PropertyPal, and the quality of the products and solutions they have built for their customers.”

With the existing management teams staying in place, and the company structure under the guidance of a local board, the move appears to be geared toward continuity, regional focus, and scalable growth under Distilled’s broader marketplace umbrella.

While PropertyPal recently courted controversy with its agent customers for switching from its pay-per-listing model to a subscription-based system, South of the border, Daft has been experimenting with vendor-paid advertising.