Irish Goods Exports Fall in May

    By Eamon Quinn

    DUBLIN--Exports of Irish goods fell in May from the previous month and were much lower than in May 2012, government data released Friday showed, suggesting that weak demand from abroad continued to weigh on the country's uncertain economic recovery.

    Ireland is largely relying on exports of both goods and services to drive that recovery and ensure it can secure permanent access to debt markets when the European Union and International Monetary Fund disburse the last of their bailout loans at the end of this year. However, the euro-zone debt crisis and a weak U.K. economy are curtailing demand for Irish goods.

    Central Statistics Office data showed seasonally adjusted exports of goods fell 4.3% on the month to 7.05 billion euros ($9.03 billion) in May, and dropped 6.3% from about EUR7.53 billion in May 2012.

    Imports of goods fell to around EUR3.98 billion from EUR4.05 billion in April, while the country's trade surplus fell to EUR3.07 billion in May from EUR3.31 billion in the previous month, the CSO said.

    Ireland's economy contracted for the third straight quarter in the three months to March as economic weakness in the rest of the euro zone and the U.K. hit demand for its exports, the CSO said last month.

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