Growth in the country's manufacturing sector hit a 15-month high in July, a new survey shows today.
The latest NCB Purchasing Managers' index climbed to 53.9 in July from 53.1 in June.
It accelerated its rise above the 50 line that separates growth from contraction.
Manufacturing activity fell in eight of the nine months to February, but has grown for the past five months.
Irish PMI readings have consistently outperformed the rest of the euro zone in recent months, with the index for the euro zone's manufacturing sector falling in June to its lowest reading since May 2009.
Today's index shows that the rate of job creation in Ireland's manufacturing sector slipped from June's 12-year high, with the manufacturing employment sub-index falling to 53.1 in July from 55.9 in June.
New business, particularly from abroad, increased substantially, with the rate of expansion the sharpest since May 2011 while input costs fell for the second month in a row.
''Anecdotal evidence suggested that non-European markets had been a particular source of growth," the survey said.
Higher production activity also led firms to increase their input buying during July, with stocks of purchases increasing for the first time since November 2007. The rate of accumulation was the sharpest in over 12 years.
