Acquisition

CRH PLC
30 January 2008


                    N  E  W  S       R  E  L  E  A  S  E



                                                                 30 January 2008


                   CRH SIGNS CONTRACT FOR THE ACQUISITION OF
                   A 26% SHAREHOLDING IN YATAI CEMENT, CHINA

CRH plc, the international building materials group, announces that it has
signed an agreement with Shanghai-listed Jilin Yatai Group whereby CRH will
acquire a 26% shareholding in Jilin Yatai Group's cement operations (Yatai
Cement) and partly finance a doubling of production capacity, for a total CRH
investment of RMB 2.1 billion (euro 0.2 billion).  The agreement also includes
an option for CRH to increase its holding in Yatai Cement to 49% by acquiring a
further 23% shareholding at an agreed formula after 4 years. CRH will have
representation at financial, operational and Board level and will actively
participate in the management of Yatai Cement. The agreement is in line with the
terms of the Letter of Intent signed and announced by CRH and the Jilin Yatai
Group in October 2006. Completion of the proposed transaction is subject to
Chinese regulatory approval.

The operations of Yatai Cement comprise 4 integrated cement plants and 2
grinding stations in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in north eastern China,
with a current cement capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum.  A major
investment programme to double annual cement capacity to 18 million tonnes is
already underway with completion scheduled for 2009. With this expansion, Yatai
Cement will strengthen its leading role in north eastern China and secure its
position as a top-10 cement supplier in China.

In a comment, Liam O'Mahony, CRH Chief Executive, said 'Following our initial
acquisition of the Harbin Sanling Cement Company in February 2007 we are very
pleased to have the opportunity to invest in Yatai Cement which further
increases and strengthens our cement position in northeast China. We are
optimistic about the prospects for the Chinese cement industry and look forward
to working with Yatai Cement as it further grows its business capitalising on
the long-term growth potential and consolidation of the cement industry in
northeast China.'


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 [phone]
                               FAX [phone]

   E-MAIL [e-mail] WEBSITE www.crh.com Registered Office, 42 Fitzwilliam
                           Square, Dublin 2, Ireland


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