Irish manufacturing expanded at its strongest rate for eight months in September following an influx of new orders, according to the latest industry survey.
The NCB purchasing managers' index recorded a reading of 52.5 on the scale where a figure above 50 represents an expansion.
The improvement reflected stronger growth of output, new orders and jobs, NCB said.
NCB chief economist Dermot O'Brien said that despite international uncertainties and higher oil prices, the recovery in manufacturing continues.
"Indeed, it gathered some strength in September, with stronger export orders a notable feature of the purchasing managers' survey," he said.
Irish manufacturers reported an increase in new orders for the 25th straight month in September, with the pace of growth accelerating to the sharpest since January.
Growth of Irish manufacturing employment was recorded in September for the second successive month.
The rate of job creation was modest, but sharper than in August as companies hired additional staff to deal with rising volumes of new business and backlogs of existing work.