New figures show that the services sector of the economy expanded at its fastest rate since late 2007 in July.
The NCB Services Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 55.7 from 55.4, staying above the 50 barrier separating growth from contraction for the fourth consecutive month after two years of declines.
On Monday, a PMI survey showed that the rebound in manufacturing activity lost momentum for the second month running in July with both output and new business rising at slower rates.
The services survey also showed that new orders rose at a slower rate, the weakest since April, as a sub-index measuring new export business plummeted to 51.5 in July from 58.6 a month earlier.
'Export orders, which boosted the Irish economy in Q1 have begun to slow in both the services and manufacturing sectors over the last number of months,' said Brian Devine, economist at NCB Stockbrokers.
The economist described a rise in the employment index - from 47.5 in June to 49.5 in July - as encouraging, though it shows that employment in services is still falling slightly.
