A total of 5,276 new businesses were registered in Ireland in the first quarter of this year, according to a new survey.
Bank of Ireland Business Banking issued its first Business Start-up Barometer of 2007, which showed a slight decline on new company registrations compared to the 5,311 registered in the same period in 2006.
The bank said, however, that while the figures may have slowed, they are still well ahead of registrations during the first three months of 2005.
Over a third of all new companies (1,845) chose to locate in Dublin, followed by Cork with 439 new businesses, Galway with 190 and Limerick with 153.
Bank of Ireland believes 2006 start-up levels will be maintained throughout the year with support from government initiatives, SSIA maturities and a "continuing positive economic backdrop".