Ireland’s home mortgage crisis persists   Though the property
market in Ireland is showing signs of an uptick, ghost housing
estates are still prevalent in many parts of the country.  A few
weeks ago in this column we were looking at the signs of an end
at last to the five-year downward spiral in the Irish property
market.  In some areas and for some homes, mainly family size
houses in good areas in Dublin, there has been a slight recovery
in prices this year, although they are still around half what
they were at the peak of the bubble.  That's good news, of
course.  For those with money to buy or those with secure state-
paid jobs who can get mortgages, the signs that the bottom of
the market has been reached are prompting them to act now and
not to put off buying a home any longer.  Such activity will
help the wheels of the economy to start turning again.  There is
even talk that a few new housing estates will be built in Dublin
in the coming year to meet demand.  Good news, as I said, but
it's important to