The banks recovered a small part of the ground lost so far this week as the ISEQ index of Irish shares climbed 33.72 points to 2,892.77 in morning trading.
Irish Life and Permanent led the way, gaining 20c to €5. Bank of Ireland was up 8c to €1.73, and Allied Irish Banks enjoyed a 5c rise to €1.90.
There were some impressive gains elsewhere on the market, with Kerry Group shooting up 45c to €20.36. CRH also did well, improving 19c to €17.25.
It was not all good news however, as both Irish Continental Group and Tullow Oil shed 20c to €12.80 and €13 respectively. FBD was down 17c to €6.75 and Paddy Power shed 12c to €21.88.