Demand for full and part-time nannies is, according to Caroline Savage, recruitment consultant with Executive Nannies, substantially greater than it was ten years ago, and increasing steadily. Sadly though, that old-fashioned uniform is no longer part of the service.

So what exactly does a nanny do or have that an au pair, say, or childminder, doesn't? "All our nannies would have childcare qualifications, perfect English and a full driver's licence," says Ms Savage.

"Most will have worked in creches or primary schools and many will have Montessori or similar training."

All very reassuring, but perhaps it is in the precise definition of the nanny's role that the difference is most keenly felt. None of this ad hoc 'bit of childcare, bit of ironing, bit of cooking, lots of cleaning' rag-bag of duties.

The Nanny is there to mind your child, or children, and does just that. She - and it is still nearly always a she in this country, but more of that later - may stretch to tidying the children's room, will do their laundry and cook for them, but other than that, you're on your own. Or, more likely, thrown back on the army of domestics already employed to do the heavy work.

For this, nannies are paid €25,000 to €30,000 a year, whether they live in or out. However, according to Ms Savage, it is not unusual for a particularly promising candidate to spark a bidding war between desperate families, which can see wages rise significantly and sweeteners, such as the use of a car, thrown in.

Oh, and that's not payable via a wad of cash stuffed into the nanny's hand at the end of each week. Contracts are yearly and employers are fully responsible for the nanny's tax and PRSI.

The good news is that the price doesn't vary much with the number of children.

One nanny can mind up to four children - after that, you're into multiple nannies.

And in a scene where maternity nurses are the latest must-have for every new mother, that quickly becomes an army of childcare providers to minister to the little darlings' every waking and sleeping hour.

The idea of a maternity nurse - someone to come in from 8pm-8am who will put the newborn into a feeding and sleeping routine while Mummy catches up on her beauty sleep - started as an indulgence among the very rich, and even then usually only for about a month, but has quickly caught on (yes, it is an extremely simple, extremely attractive concept).

Now, maternity nurses are common, almost de rigeur, and their time frame has stretched right out to eight or twelve weeks. In addition, many families - even those where the number of children falls below the cut-off point of four - are opting for multiple nannies in order to cater for children of different ages, or sometimes just because they can.

Just like on the 'Late Late Show', there's one for every child.

Currently, the vogue in Ireland is for Filipina nannies, who are known to be particularly kind and calm, and most families, of course, hope the nanny will stay year after year, gradually becoming an old family retainer.

Such a pity that the old tradition of pensioning off Nanny with a stipend and a wing of the house to call her own has lapsed.

To get an idea of just how crucial the nanny is, it's enough to read any interview with a female executive who also doubles as a mother. "I couldn't do it without the nanny," is the response - sometimes blatant, sometimes oblique - to the usual 'how do you juggle' question, from high-achieving women everywhere. Whether the nanny gets name-checked out of gratitude or guilt is, of course, another matter.

Extract from the Irish Independent, 21 Jul 2007. Article by Emily Hourican