I have come across them yes, and got details of projects, from them but haven't taken it any further. Generally I never deal with Irish (or UK) agents or developers abroad because they tend to be the worst culprits at adding the 'padding price'. There are so many good local agents who also don't have the benefits of having to pay Irish/UK overheads and who tend to know the market better. If they have a good level of English then local agents can prove much more profitable and easy to deal with.
They also seem to see being able to deal with an Irish or UK investor as a bit of a bonus and look after you a lot better.
Cheers,
Geordie.