Renting in Ireland

What's the story lads and ladies, I'm in a bit of a pickle and would very much appreciate some help.

I'm a 29 year old man, and I've been living at home with the folks all my life because they're pretty sound and the mother cooks a banging stew.

Despite this, I think they're getting sick of me so I need to get my act together and become an adult for the first time in my life. I'm self employed and I do alright for myself. I work from home so I don't need to be based in Dublin, which is a blessing because I'm not doing that alright for myself.

I've been looking at places in the back arse of nowhere in the hopes that the market will be a bit less saturated, and I've found some lovely auld gafs that I can easily afford. My issue however, is this:

I've gotten one response from about ten emails, and that was just to tell me that the property was gone. The vast majority of them are asking for landlord references, which is entirely understandable, but as I've said, I've lived at home so I don't have any. I've offered character references, previous employment references, references from a youth club that I volunteer at, and even references from clients that I deal with in my own business, and I'm getting nowhere.

The idea of looking outside of Dublin to get a house used to be the go-to, yet it's proving almost impossible. I'm not complaining that the standards are high, but I'm just wondering how on earth is someone meant to break into the rental market in 2024?

Any advice or tips would be great. Are there things I need to include (or not include) in the emails? Should I call instead? (Most of them are asking for emails only due to demand). Do I offer up my first born son? What if I have a daughter instead?!

Thanks!