The most improbable headline of the week in Ireland – perhaps in all Europe – came in the Meath Chronicle. It was so startling, one had to check the date on the newspaper to make sure it wasn’t left over from February 2007, or last April 1. “House-buying frenzy in Johnstown,” it said.

Johnstown is just outside Navan, 30 miles from Dublin. It’s a commuter exurb of dreary looking new estates, though it became practically inner-city as Dublin property prices exploded in the early 2000s. Young families had to move farther and farther to find something affordable, committing themselves to a grim life of hefty repayments, lengthy commutes and kids in crèches.