REGISTRATIONS FOR Ireland’s .ie domains rose above 10,000 in a three-month period for the first time, as companies and sole traders turned to the web.

The IE Domain Registry (IEDR) said registrations in the first quarter of the year reached 10,183, a 5.5 per cent rise year on year and 18.5 per cent up on the final quarter of 2010. That brings the total number of .ie domains registered to 160,000.

More than 80 per cent of the new registrants were sole traders and limited companies.

The .ie domain is ranked by security experts McAfee as the fourth-safest domain in the world.

IEDR chief executive David Curtin said the strong first quarter growth was encouraging to see.

“A lot of work has been done by the IEDR in investing in the right technology to maintain the safety, security and resilience of the .ie domain infrastructure, while the ongoing efforts of our registrars have contributed significantly to the promotion of .ie,” he said.

“As businesses continue to struggle with challenging trading conditions, I would encourage them to investigate the benefits of marketing and selling online.”