SERVICES:Internet companies were one of the main drivers behind the services export sector last year, accounting for €79 billion in exports and 46 per cent of total Irish exports.

The Top 250 Exporting Companies in Ireland, published yesterday by the Irish Exporters Association, ranks firms based on their overall turnover. It showed a continued shift in dependence on the domestic market by indigenous Irish companies.

The top five indigenous companies – Smurfit, Kerry Group, Glanbia, Glen Dimplex and the Irish Dairy Board – showed international sales of €17.3 billion last year, with more than half of their sales generated outside Ireland.

Google’s export turnover increased by 55 per cent from €6.5 billion last year to €10.1 billion in the current year, with the Irish operation now Google’s largest outside the US, according to the publication.

The rankings were based on the most recent available turnover figures provided by Stubbs Gazette for the Irish Exporters Association.