Manufacturers have reported a slight slowdown in the pace of growth, according to the edition of the NCB Purchasing Managers Index.
The index - which is designed to provide a single-figure measure of the economic health of the manufacturing industry - registered 51.8, down from 52.9 in January. As a reading above 50 signals expansion, February's figure points to a modest improvement but the weakest for three months.
Mr Eunan King - senior economist at NCB said the deceleration appears to mirror what has been happening in the euro zone economy over the last three months.
However, Mr King noted an increase in orders from Germany adding to the the perception that the climate in the EU has maybe improved over the new year.
Purchasing managers reported new business was solid in February. A number of firms cited stock building by their clients as a source of new orders.
However, both total new orders and new export orders expanded at slower rates compared to the previous month.
In response to continued growth of new orders, Irish manufacturers increased levels of production again in February. However, in line with the trend for new business, output expanded at a weaker rate than in January.
Average input costs facing Irish manufacturers continued to rise strongly in February, with the rate of inflation only slightly lower than in the previous month.
The size of the Irish manufacturing sector workforce continued to expand in February, as panel firms reported that additional staff had been recruited to meet rising demand.
However, the rate of job creation was only marginal, having eased since the previous month. A number of companies reported that hiring had been put on hold in an attempt to contain rising average costs