21 Mar 2007

Bank of Ireland Group Trading Statement

21 March 2007

Commenting on the trading statement issued today, Brian Goggin, Group Chief Executive, said:

"This is a year of significant progress for Bank of Ireland. Our growth strategies are driving strong performance across the Group. We continue to beat the objectives of our efficiency programme. We remain confident of delivering an excellent performance for the year."

Bank of Ireland is issuing the following trading statement ahead of its close period for the year ending 31 March 2007.

John O'Donovan, Group Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call at 8.30am GMT today, 21 March 2007. Conference call details are outlined below.

Unless otherwise stated, throughout the statement comparative performance is measured against the previous financial year (i.e. 12 months to 31 March 2007 versus 12 months to 31 March 2006).

In September 2006 we announced the formation of the Capital Markets Division incorporating our Wholesale Financial Services and Asset Management Services operating divisions. This change took effect from 1 October 2006. This Trading Statement reflects these organisational changes. Re-stated divisional slides covering the 12 month period to 31 March 2006, and the six month periods to September 2005 and 2006 can be viewed on the Bank of Ireland website at: www.bankofireland.ie/investor.