According to the latest IE Domain Registry Domain Profile Report, 154 were registered every day between January and the end of June 2018, with increases in thirty-one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland.
The biannual report, which examines the makeup of the .ie domain database, found that new .ie domain registrations grew by +39% year-on-year to 28,126, bringing the total .ie domain database to 252,222 at the end of the first half of 2018. The majority (62.5%), of new .ie domains were registered by businesses (including corporate bodies and sole traders).
When new .ie registrations are broken down geographically, Leinster, including Dublin, registered 17,544 new .ie domains, or 67% of all new registrations on the island of Ireland, in the first half of 2018. This is a +39% increase year-on-year. Munster followed, with 19% of registrations, Connacht recorded 9% of registrations and Ulster 5%.
Every county on the island of Ireland, bar Fermanagh, recorded an increase in new .ie registrations in the first half of 2018. On a county level, Dublin registered 11,134 new .ie domains in the first half of 2018, accounting for 42.5% of all new registrations on the island of Ireland. Cork registered the second-highest number of new .ie domains, 2,221 (8.5% of all new registrations), followed by Galway (1,330, 5%) and Kildare (1,258, 5%).
Leitrim, registering 179 .ie domains in H1 2018, recorded the highest year-on-year registration growth in the country (+113%).
Commenting on the results, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, David Curtin said, "Virtually every county in Ireland recorded an increase in .ie domain registrations in the first half of 2018. The majority were registered by corporate bodies and sole traders. This is good news: an increase in online activity among businesses is a leading indicator of Ireland’s broader economic growth. In particular, the growth of .ie in regional parts of Ireland is a fantastic example of how the internet can help businesses in less infrastructurally developed counties overcome traditional barriers to growth, such as a smaller customer base or slower road and rail links."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
