The volume of industrial production in March was 7% higher than in the same month last year, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Central Statistics Office.
For the first quarter of this year, however, production was just 0.3% ahead compared with the final quarter of last year.
For March, the modern sector - including technology and chemical firms - recorded an annual increase of 10.2%, but there was 1.3% drop in production in the more traditional areas of manufacturing.
