An issue is the cashless society. Because now loads of people buy with a card they have lost the perception of money and saving. One bit of advice is to get a book and write down you daily expenditure for 6-8 weeks. It easier for a cashless person than one that deals in cash. If cashless you need to go through your account every evening and note every transaction.
However single people always struggled to buy houses even 20-30+ years ago. Most that did were in there 40's before buying. In Dublin no matter what you do it will be impossible unless you are on an exceptional income.
But elsewhere in the country for someone on an average industrial wage the purchaser of a 150 k apartment or house is possible.Assuming 3.5X wages a mortgage of 125k is possible and that would indicate savings of 30-35k.
It's a matter of researching your options. However most look at it as a 3-3 year as opposed to 5-10 year project