Share Repurchase Programme

CRH PLC
03 January 2008

                    N  E  W  S     R  E  L  E  A  S  E

                                                                  3 January 2008


                  CRH plc ANNOUNCES SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAMME


CRH plc, the international building materials group, announces that the Board
has decided to introduce a share repurchase programme of up to 5% of the 547
million shares currently in issue. Shares repurchased on CRH's behalf under the
programme will be held as Treasury Shares.


As shares will initially be repurchased during the close period prior to the
announcement of CRH's Preliminary Results for 2007 on Tuesday 4 March 2008, CRH
has entered irrevocable non-discretionary agreements with Davy Stockbrokers and
UBS to purchase shares during this close period which runs from 4 January 2008
up to and including 3 March 2008.


Any purchases will be effected within certain pre-set parameters, and in
accordance with both CRH's general authority to repurchase shares and Chapter 9
of the Irish Listing Rules which require that the maximum price paid be limited
to no more than 105 per cent of the average market value of CRH's shares for the
5 business days immediately preceding the date of purchase. CRH confirms that it
currently has no unpublished price sensitive information.

________________________________________________________________________________
Contact CRH at Dublin 404 1000 ([phone])
Liam O'Mahony           Chief Executive
Myles Lee               Finance Director
Eimear O'Flynn          Head of Investor Relations
Maeve Carton            Group Controller


       CRH plc, Belgard Castle , Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland TELEPHONE
                       +353.1.4041000 FAX [phone]
E-MAIL [e-mail] WEBSITE www.crh.com Registered Office, 42 Fitzwilliam Square
                              , Dublin 2, Ireland


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange