Manufacturing production rose 9.5 per cent in May compared to the same month last year, CSO figures have shown.
The data, published today, indicated the most significant change was in pharmaceutical sector where production rose 25.6 per cent.
However, production of computer, electronic and optical products fell 28 per cent during the same period.
The volume of industrial production for manufacturing industries for the three-month period from March to May was 3.2 per cent higher than in the preceding three-month period.
The modern sector, comprising a number of high-technology and chemical sectors, showed an annual increase in production for of 13.9 per cent for May compared to the same month in 2009, while traditional sector fell 0.8 per cent.
The seasonally adjusted industrial turnover index for manufacturing industries was 6.6 per cent higher in the three month-period from March to May when compared with the preceding three-month period