It comes as the European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to hike its lending rates by 0.25 of a percentage point next month.
The average rate was 3.52pc for a new mortgage in this country in March, up from 3.51pc the previous month and from 3.50pc in January, according to the Central Bank.
The higher rates come after two small, non-bank lenders increased their new fixed rates, with markets expecting a rate rise next month from the ECB.
Lenders would be likely to pass on higher ECB rates to borrowers in the form of higher mortgage rates.
In the past few weeks both ICS Mortgages and Nua Money increased their fixed rates for new customers.
Average mortgage rates across the Eurozone were calculated at 3.4pc in March, similar to the previous month.
Rates range from as low as 2.44pc in Bulgaria to as high as 4.12pc in Latvia, the Central Bank of Ireland said.
Brokers said there are wide variations in mortgage rates on the market in this country.
An analysis by Bonkers.ie shows that they range from 3.85pc to 4.99pc for a three-year fixed for a first-time buyer couple borrowing €300,000 with a 10pc deposit.
Variable rates range from 3.85pc to 4.70pc, broker Bonkers.ie said.
Daragh Cassidy, head of communications at Bonkers.ie, said: “Irish mortgage rates, at least with the main banks, have remained fairly steady over the past few months.
“But we could see the ECB hike rates in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as soon as June, and this could lead to a hike in mortgage rates later in the year.”
He said ICS Mortgages and Nua Money, two of the smaller lenders in the market, have both already increased their fixed rates for new customers.
“And Avant Money’s tracker-like variable rate, which tracks a key lending rate called the Euribor, has gone up by over half a percentage point.”
During the last energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ECB increased rates by a massive 4.5 percentage points in a very short space of time.
Mr Cassidy said another hike of this scale is highly unlikely, but the ECB can, and will, act on rates if it feels inflation is getting out of control again.
He said anyone on a fixed rate is protected for now as their rate won’t change until the end of the fixed term.
But those on variable rates would be wise to assess their options.
And anyone rolling off a fixed rate over the coming months should start assessing their options now too, Mr Cassidy said.
There are thousands of mortgage customers who took out fixed rates as low as under 2pc three or four years ago.
“These are now coming to an end and these customers can expect a big hike in their repayments when they come to re-fix, especially if they don’t compare all the options on the market,” he said.
