Alan Healy: The quiet takeover of rural Ireland's accountants and advisers

Some of the buyers are foreign, some are backed by Irish investors, and some are Irish firms run by their founders.

A string of Ireland's provincial towns and suburbs have seen a repeated pattern in recent months, with local and long-standing accountancy and financial advisory firms being snapped up by larger entities.

In Ballincollig, Bandon, Charleville, Tralee, Waterford and the South Mall, local practices are being bought and folded into national or international groups. A dozen deals have taken place since March, more than half in Munster.