It is taking about 1 year for small claims to be listed for a hearing in the District Court assuming the respondent replies within the initial 15 days cited in the procedure/rules. After the initial reply, they don't need to reply until their day in court.
From Citizens Information "The respondent has 15 calendar days to reply to the claim. Where there is no reply by the respondent, he/she is then held to have admitted the claim. The procedure is the same as if he/she had consented to judgement. The claimant swears an Affidavit of Debt and makes a request for Judgement and Decree. The Registrar will assist the claimant in this procedure. The Registrar will notify the respondent of the Judgement. The Respondent has 28 calendar days to comply with the judgement."