Official figures show strong growth in industrial production in the early part of this year.
The Central Statistics Office said the seasonally adjusted volume of production in the three months from December to February was up 15.9% on the previous three months.
In February alone, there was a jump of 23.9% compared with the same month last year. The modern sector - which includes high-tech and chemical industries - showed growth of more than 30%, but the more traditional industries recorded a more modest 6.8% increase.
