Provisional figures show that the value of exports in December rose by 21% compared with a year earlier to just over €7.2 billion. This would suggest that exports for the full year rose by almost 7% compared with 2009.
The Central Statistics Office said imports in December were up 9% from a year earlier to just over €4 billion.
Bloxham economist Alan McQuaid calculated that for 2010 as a whole, the trade surplus amounted to a provisional €44.7 billion, a record high.
Compared with November, seasonally adjusted figures show that exports were little changed, but imports rose by 12%.
Detailed figures for the first 11 months of 2009 show that exports rose by 6% from the same period a year earlier to €82.8 billion, with exports of medical and pharmaceutical products rising by 14%. Exports to the US were up 11% from a year earlier, while exports to Germany grew by 15%.
Imports for the 11 months were almost unchanged from the same period in 2009 at €41.3 billion, with petrol imports up 28% and imports of road vehicles jumping by 76%. Imports from the US fell 18%, but imports from Britain rose by 6%.
