Preliminary figures show that the value of goods exported in March was €7.28bn, down 6% from February.
The Central Statistics Office said imports were unchanged at €4.14bn. The figures are adjusted to take seasonal variations into account.
Detailed figures for the first two months of 2009 show that imports slumped 25% a year earlier to €10.7bn as spending in the economy weakened, with imports of road vehicles plummeting 74%.
Imports of computer equipment were down 34%, while imports of all types of machinery were down sharply.
There was a 4% fall in exports in the first two months compared with the same period last year to €13.9bn, with electrical machinery down 40% and computer equipment down 29%.
Exports to China were down 24% in the first two months, while exports to Britain fell by 6%, but exports to the US were 6% ahead of the same period last year.
Huge increase in days lost
Official figures show a sharp increase in the number of days lost to industrial disputes in the first three months of this year.
The Central Statistics Office said 11,327 days were lost in the period, compared with 1,477 a year earlier.
These involved only three disputes, however, and the main factor was a one-day strike by civil servants over the pension levy in February.
