Like many provincial towns, Sligo looks like a "building site" and the first-time buyer market is buoyant, according to Walter Murphy of Murphy and Sons.

A three-bed semi within a mile or so of the town will cost on average between €200,000 and €230,000. Unlike Dublin where there is very little you could buy for €220,000, Sligo offers a lot of choice to first-time buyers, most of whom are buying houses on their own, he said.

Up and coming areas in the town will primarily be on newly rezoned lands off the new inner relief road, which is currently under construction. One of the bigger developments underway at the moment is at Caltra, where 210 residential units are being built a 10-minute walk from the town centre.

Strandhill village, four miles from Sligo town, has also seen a lot of development. Prices in the scenic village are a little more expensive than in town, with average three-bed semis costing €250,000, but the village is increasingly popular for young first-time buyers.

There has also been a lot of development in the likes of Tubbercurry, 20 miles south of Sligo town, which has seen over 200 residential units built over the last few years. Grange village, 10 miles out the Donegal Road, is very popular for first-time buyers, according to John Ryan of Ryan Auctioneers.

In Grange you can rent a video, fill up your car with petrol and buy a bottle of wine - the three benchmarks of civilisation, Mr Ryan explained.

Similarly, the likes of Collooney village and Ballisodare south of Sligo town have "taken a quantum leap" to become satellite towns, he added.

Prices are lower than in Sligo town. In the Riverwalk development in Collooney a three-bed semi costs €195,000 and a four-bed semi €210,000.