As PodMaster points out above the eircom site isn't really a repository. Or at least it wasn't intended to be. It does contain some PPM files but they didn't show up in a search.

They PPM files were mainly meant to be used in conjunction with the instructions in the INSTALL docs of the relevant modules. For Example:

    PPM> set repository tmp http://homepage.eircom.net/~jmcnamara/perl
    PPM> install Spreadsheet-WriteExcel
[download]

However, I've now set it up so that the PPM files also show up in a search:

    $ ppm search --location="http://homepage.eircom.net/~jmcnamara/per
+l"

    Packages available from http://homepage.eircom.net/~jmcnamara/perl
+:
    Inline-Awk             [0.03] Include awk code in a Perl program.
    Spreadsheet-WriteExcel [0.41] Write to a cross platform Excel bina
+ry file
[download]

Update: The search now works for ppm3 as well:

    $ ppm3 search "*"

    Searching in Active Repositories
    1. Inline-Awk             [0.03] Include awk code in a Perl progra
+m.
    2. Spreadsheet-WriteExcel [0.41] Write to a cross platform Excel b
+inary file
[download]

--
John.