Yields in Ireland are up to 11% which is very high for residential property anywhere.
Bad tenants are well protected under Irish law but, averaged over a portfolio of hundreds of properties, the risk is manageable for Macquarie.
Tenants like renting from a fund as the landlord isn't going to look for the house back after a year in Dubai. There will also be a number to call and someone competent to carry out minor repairs.
It makes perfect sense to me. Funds are going to be a bigger and bigger part of the private rented sector in the next decade.