Registrations of .IE (Ireland) domain names grew 2.2 per cent in the year to end March 2009 according to figures released last week by the IE Domain Registry (IEDR). While registrations for March totalled 3,686, the highest number recorded in a single month over the past year, and the total number of .IE domains now stands at over 141,000, the figures are low by international standards.
Restrictive registration requirements and a low profile mean the strong growth despite the global financial crisis seen in most other top level domains around the world has not happened with .IE. Indeed, unusually among TLDs .IE registrations actually declined in quarter one 2010 when compared to the same quarter in 2009.
IEDR has put a positive spin on the registrations figures with David Curtin, Chief Executive of the IE Domain Registry, saying “It’s very encouraging indeed to have ended the first quarter with renewed growth in .IE domain registrations and a very solid performance in March, with registrations up 2.2 per cent in March year on year and up 15.4 per cent on the previous month.
âThe decline in registration volumes at the beginning of the year was not unexpected given the tough and testing economic conditions Irish businesses are and continue to operate under, particularly SMEs.â
To register your .IE domain name, check out Europe Registry here.