For a country of Ireland’s size and economic homogeneity – even if a distinction can be made between the greater Dublin area and the rest – there seems little reason to press for a downsizing and specialising of national banks to a regional focus. Even less case I would think, to promote the idea of sectorally specialised banks (for agriculture, housing, commerce, etc.).
After all, specialisation in property-related lending was the downfall of all the banks. The demise of both of the former state-owned sectoral banks ACC and ICC when they were turned by their acquirers into predominantly property lenders only adds an ironic twist to this conclusion.