The fledgling TV series 'Moone Boy', which is set in Boyle, is boosting Irish tourism.

The sitcom has put County Roscommon firmly on the map for UK visitors, according to travel expert hotels.com.

Created by Chris O'Dowd for Sky, the first six-episode series has been a hit in Britain since it debuted on screens at the beginning of last month.

It has been called the funniest Irish comedy since 'Father Ted'.

New figures released by hotels.com have revealed that UK website searches for Roscommon between September and October are up 185pc on the same period last year.

And the travel expert has attributed the increase to O'Dowd's vision of his home town.

It tells the story of 12-year-old Martin Moone growing up in Boyle in the late 1980s.

A spokesman for hotels.com said: "It's not uncommon for TV programmes or films to help boost a destination's popularity.