The number of .ie registrations has reached a record high despite the recession, it was revealed today.

The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for the State's internet address .ie, today reported the first quarter of 2009 saw a record level of domain registrations.

The registry found a total of 9,781 .ie domains were registered in the first quarter of 2009, and that registrations that period were up 28 per cent over the final quarter of 2008.

The previous highest number of registrations was recorded the first quarter of 2008 - at 9,092.

Over 80 per cent of the new .ie website addresses were registered by sole traders or limited companies, with the rest registered by clubs, societies and charities. A total of 98 per cent of the growth in registrations was generated by .ie resellers.

According to the IEDR, the increasing number of companies and sole traders moving their business online with a .ie website is one of the main reasons for the increase.

The association also pointed to six consecutive years of price cuts by the IEDR and said the cost of registering a .ie domain has fallen by more than 60 per cent since 2003.

Commenting on the levels of .ie registrations, David Curtin, IEDR chief executive, said: ". It is encouraging to see that despite the economic downturn, businesses are still seeing opportunities for growth online, with over 7,500 domain names registered by businesses in the first three months of the year."

The IEDR is the independent not-for-profit registry and database for .ie domain names and manages the .ie country code in the public interest of the Irish and global Internet communities.