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This chapter presents information on the transport sector of the Irish economy. The transport tables cover new vehicles by taxation class and by local authority, goods carried by road, goods handled by Irish ports and passengers and freight carried by Irish airports.
| 19.1 New motor vehicles licensed for the first time by taxation class | |||||||||
| Number | |||||||||
| Taxation Class | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Private cars | 173,273 | 180,754 | 146,470 | 54,432 | 84,907 | 86,932 | 76,256 | 71,348 | 92,361 |
| Goods vehicles | 43,619 | 46,043 | 31,459 | 10,051 | 10,510 | 11,188 | 10,855 | 11,024 | 16,254 |
| Tractors | 3,687 | 4,442 | 4,154 | 1,883 | 1,359 | 1,731 | 1,996 | 4,403 | 2,186 |
| Motor cycles | 3,206 | 3,522 | 3,194 | 1,879 | 1,321 | 1,102 | 955 | 878 | 960 |
| Exempt vehicles | 6,169 | 7,422 | 6,286 | 3,690 | 4,207 | 4,014 | 3,930 | 3,955 | 4,762 |
| Public service vehicles | 1,732 | 1,956 | 1,614 | 493 | 306 | 297 | 531 | 378 | 517 |
| Small | 1,033 | 1,283 | 893 | 190 | 193 | 195 | 275 | 160 | 237 |
| Large | 699 | 673 | 721 | 303 | 113 | 102 | 256 | 218 | 280 |
| Machines or contrivances | 1,327 | 1,445 | 906 | 409 | 222 | 294 | 409 | 606 | 399 |
| Other classes | 714 | 862 | 734 | 288 | 244 | 203 | 161 | 295 | 213 |
| Total | 233,727 | 246,446 | 194,817 | 73,125 | 103,076 | 105,761 | 95,093 | 92,887 | 117,652 |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
There were 92,361 new private cars licensed in 2014, a rise of 29.5% compared to 2013. This represented the first increase since 2011 and was the highest number of new cars licensed since 2008. In total, there were 117,652 new vehicles licensed during 2014 and this was up 26.7% on 2013.
| 19.2 New vehicles licensed for the first time by licensing authority | |||||||||
| Number | |||||||||
| Licensing authority | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Carlow | 2,919 | 3,268 | 2,619 | 959 | 1,371 | 1,357 | 1,149 | 1,152 | 1,461 |
| Cavan | 3,241 | 3,465 | 2,676 | 929 | 1,285 | 1,315 | 1,153 | 1,112 | 1,405 |
| Clare | 5,119 | 5,526 | 4,470 | 1,451 | 2,356 | 2,377 | 1,869 | 1,795 | 2,431 |
| Donegal | 5,446 | 6,014 | 4,465 | 1,828 | 2,909 | 2,515 | 2,193 | 2,051 | 2,723 |
| Galway | 10,265 | 10,839 | 8,403 | 2,940 | 4,560 | 4,571 | 3,701 | 3,670 | 4,493 |
| Kerry | 5,412 | 5,651 | 4,513 | 1,694 | 2,705 | 2,508 | 2,193 | 1,953 | 2,554 |
| Kildare | 10,651 | 11,130 | 8,697 | 2,902 | 4,152 | 4,267 | 3,693 | 3,767 | 4,927 |
| Kilkenny | 4,415 | 4,996 | 3,910 | 1,417 | 2,072 | 2,143 | 1,864 | 1,825 | 2,213 |
| Laois | 3,134 | 3,509 | 3,034 | 974 | 1,408 | 1,416 | 1,131 | 1,192 | 1,399 |
| Leitrim | 1,182 | 1,223 | 940 | 355 | 529 | 542 | 450 | 445 | 521 |
| Limerick County | 7,525 | 8,193 | 6,190 | 2,179 | 3,412 | 3,448 | 3,129 | 2,850 | 4,093 |
| Longford | 1,523 | 1,776 | 1,381 | 519 | 677 | 723 | 602 | 552 | 655 |
| Louth | 5,647 | 6,018 | 4,725 | 1,818 | 2,562 | 2,469 | 2,067 | 1,824 | 2,568 |
| Mayo | 5,962 | 5,780 | 4,314 | 1,586 | 2,293 | 2,195 | 1,961 | 1,929 | 2,311 |
| Meath | 9,456 | 9,996 | 7,641 | 2,553 | 3,584 | 3,398 | 2,933 | 2,854 | 3,682 |
| Monaghan | 2,726 | 2,705 | 2,071 | 719 | 1,138 | 1,110 | 979 | 947 | 1,116 |
| Offaly | 3,516 | 3,751 | 3,038 | 952 | 1,417 | 1,303 | 1,223 | 1,227 | 1,485 |
| Roscommon | 3,533 | 4,154 | 3,277 | 1,449 | 2,142 | 2,369 | 3,203 | 3,717 | 4,253 |
| Sligo | 2,835 | 2,918 | 2,359 | 907 | 1,280 | 1,246 | 1,063 | 984 | 1,220 |
| Tipperary North | 3,982 | 4,295 | 3,574 | 1,261 | 1,958 | 2,105 | 1,884 | 1,692 | 2,350 |
| Tipperary South | 3,511 | 3,753 | 2,992 | 1,015 | 1,430 | 1,229 | 1,119 | 1,090 | 1,131 |
| Waterford County | 3,240 | 3,637 | 2,746 | 996 | 1,739 | 1,612 | 1,342 | 1,355 | 1,796 |
| Westmeath | 4,028 | 4,201 | 3,147 | 1,140 | 2,041 | 1,842 | 1,689 | 1,729 | 2,084 |
| Wexford | 8,927 | 8,789 | 7,121 | 2,481 | 3,636 | 3,657 | 3,031 | 3,172 | 4,133 |
| Wicklow | 6,398 | 6,782 | 5,284 | 1,793 | 2,550 | 2,316 | 2,020 | 1,933 | 2,563 |
| Cork County and | |||||||||
| City Council | 30,114 | 31,767 | 25,026 | 10,031 | 14,544 | 14,385 | 11,141 | 10,706 | 13,794 |
| Dublin County and | |||||||||
| City Council | 72,997 | 76,716 | 60,159 | 24,070 | 30,997 | 34,501 | 34,268 | 33,668 | 42,048 |
| Limerick City | |||||||||
| Council | 2,022 | 1,940 | 2,387 | 1,278 | 1,083 | 1,425 | 584 | 521 | 403 |
| Waterford City | |||||||||
| Council | 4,001 | 3,654 | 3,658 | 929 | 1,246 | 1,417 | 1,459 | 1,175 | 1,840 |
| Total | 233,727 | 246,446 | 194,817 | 73,125 | 103,076 | 105,761 | 95,093 | 92,887 | 117,652 |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
In 2014, 35.7% (42,048) of all new vehicles licensed for the first time were in Dublin County and City Councils, followed by Cork County and City Councils with 11.7% (13,794).
| 19.3 Key indicators for transport of goods by road | |||||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Tonnes carried (thousand) | 299,030 | 299,307 | 245,788 | 148,328 | 125,865 | 110,260 | 108,078 | 108,831 | 112,499 |
| Tonnes-kilometres (million) | 17,322 | 18,707 | 17,289 | 12,071 | 10,924 | 9,941 | 9,895 | 9,138 | 9,772 |
| Vehicle kilometres (million) | 2,242 | 2,332 | 2,207 | 1,585 | 1,457 | 1,338 | 1,316 | 1,261 | 1,307 |
| Average number of vehicles | 87,135 | 97,752 | 97,640 | 87,616 | 84,025 | 81,178 | 79,971 | 76,967 | 83,650 |
| Laden journeys (thousand) | 23,248 | 23,646 | 20,085 | 12,659 | 11,177 | 10,168 | 10,057 | 9,925 | 10,094 |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive table: Statbank link
Irish registered goods vehicles carried 112.5 million tonnes of goods on 10.1 million laden journeys in 2014 and the amount of freight activity, as measured by tonnes-kilometers, was 9.8 billion.
The average number of registered goods vehicles in the State was 83,650 and these vehicles travelled a total of 1.3 billion kilometers.
| 19.4 Statistics of port traffic - number of vessel arrivals, tonnage of goods handled by type of cargo and area of trade | |||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Number of vessels by type | |||||||||
| Liquid bulk | 1,949 | 1,713 | 1,589 | 1,344 | 1,349 | 1,138 | 1,060 | 1,027 | 985 |
| Dry bulk | 1,265 | 1,212 | 1,465 | 1,068 | 1,143 | 1,088 | 1,144 | 773 | 585 |
| Container | 2,658 | 2,795 | 2,243 | 1,986 | 1,678 | 1,418 | 1,403 | 1,262 | 1,205 |
| Specialised | 306 | 308 | 243 | 121 | 85 | 105 | 113 | 99 | 121 |
| General | 9,722 | 9,934 | 8,992 | 8,512 | 8,813 | 8,012 | 7,897 | 8,554 | 9,125 |
| Passenger | 142 | 123 | 197 | 192 | 243 | 298 | 193 | 225 | 183 |
| Total number of vessels | 16,042 | 16,085 | 14,729 | 13,223 | 13,311 | 12,059 | 11,810 | 11,940 | 12,204 |
| Tonnage of goods by type of cargo ('000) | |||||||||
| Roll-on/roll-off traffic | 11,915 | 12,547 | 12,080 | 10,928 | 12,256 | 12,066 | 11,605 | 12,145 | 13,104 |
| Lift-on/lift-off traffic | 8,472 | 8,876 | 7,945 | 6,659 | 6,457 | 6,311 | 6,716 | 6,204 | 6,646 |
| Liquid bulk | 14,301 | 14,348 | 13,315 | 12,100 | 12,019 | 11,804 | 13,417 | 11,541 | 11,345 |
| Dry bulk | 16,215 | 15,822 | 15,905 | 11,185 | 13,435 | 13,932 | 15,042 | 15,948 | 15,128 |
| Break bulk and all other goods | 2,415 | 2,548 | 1,836 | 964 | 904 | 965 | 870 | 883 | 1,261 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 53,318 | 54,139 | 51,081 | 41,836 | 45,071 | 45,078 | 47,649 | 46,722 | 47,483 |
| Tonnage of goods by area of trade ('000) | |||||||||
| Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 19,882 | 20,351 | 19,949 | 16,957 | 18,002 | 19,279 | 16,954 | 17,028 | 17,418 |
| Other EU | 17,343 | 18,118 | 17,334 | 14,267 | 14,948 | 14,111 | 15,903 | 15,944 | 15,495 |
| Non-EU | 5,188 | 4,482 | 2,967 | 2,749 | 3,355 | 2,049 | 1,579 | 2,769 | 2,363 |
| Other ports | 8,956 | 9,264 | 8,908 | 5,913 | 7,028 | 7,555 | 8,995 | 8,167 | 9,283 |
| Coastal trade | 1,950 | 1,925 | 1,923 | 1,950 | 1,738 | 2,085 | 4,218 | 2,814 | 2,924 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 53,318 | 54,139 | 51,081 | 41,836 | 45,071 | 45,078 | 47,649 | 46,722 | 47,483 |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive tables: StatBank link
In 2014, 12,204 vessels arrived at Irish ports and this showed an increase of 2.2% on 2013. General cargo vessels accounted for almost three quarters (74.8%) of total arrivals.
Irish ports handled 47.5 million tonnes of goods in 2014 and this was 1.6% more than in 2013. Great Britain and Northern Ireland remain the main areas of trade for Irish sea ports accounting for 36.7% of all goods handled in 2014.
| 19.5 Key indicators for the five main airports | |||||||||
| '000 | |||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Dublin | |||||||||
| Passengers | 21,265.9 | 23,375.7 | 23,507.2 | 20,507.4 | 18,426.8 | 18,749.1 | 19,090.8 | 20,148.6 | 21,694.9 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 107.2 | 111.0 | 107.3 | 97.3 | 105.3 | 101.9 | 111.1 | 113.5 | 127.4 |
| Commercial flights | 183.4 | 202.9 | 202.5 | 169.9 | 156.2 | 159.0 | 158.5 | 162.0 | 173.0 |
| Cork | |||||||||
| Passengers | 3,023.5 | 3,193.7 | 3,259.1 | 2,767.8 | 2,422.9 | 2,356.6 | 2,333.6 | 2,252.6 | 2,138.1 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 7.2 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Commercial flights | 33.3 | 35.4 | 33.3 | 25.6 | 23.4 | 22.0 | 21.5 | 20.2 | 19.6 |
| Shannon | |||||||||
| Passengers | 3,690.9 | 3,524.5 | 2,956.3 | 2,579.7 | 1,531.3 | 1,364.8 | 1,286.1 | 1,308.2 | 1,555.2 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 31.1 | 27.0 | 23.2 | 18.9 | 20.0 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 13.9 | 10.9 |
| Commercial flights | 27.1 | 26.7 | 25.0 | 21.2 | 13.4 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 15.6 |
| Knock | |||||||||
| Passengers | 608.3 | 544.0 | 630.8 | 606.5 | 586.4 | 653.6 | 677.4 | 665.6 | 703.7 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Commercial flights | 5.5 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 6.2 |
| Kerry | |||||||||
| Passengers | 392.6 | 391.1 | 426.1 | 356.7 | 383.9 | 310.9 | 286.4 | 306.0 | 295.0 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Commercial flights | 6.0 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| Total | |||||||||
| Passengers | 28,981.2 | 31,029.0 | 30,779.5 | 26,818.1 | 23,351.3 | 23,435.0 | 23,674.3 | 24,681.0 | 26,386.9 |
| Freight (tonnes) | 145.5 | 143.5 | 134.5 | 117.1 | 126.1 | 119.3 | 127.9 | 128.1 | 139.0 |
| Commercial flights | 255.3 | 275.6 | 273.3 | 227.5 | 203.1 | 203.8 | 202.4 | 204.5 | 217.6 |
| Source: CSO | |||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
In 2014, 26.4 million passengers passed through Ireland's five main airports, an increase of 6.9% over the previous year.
Just over 217,000 commercial flights were handled by Ireland's five main airports in 2014. Dublin accounted for 79.5% of all flights (172,556) while Cork handled 9.0% of all flights (19,579).
Ireland's five main airports handled a total of 139.0 thousand tonnes of freight in 2014.
Dublin airport accounted for 73.4% of all passengers passing through Ireland's main airports in 2006. This had increased to 82.2% by 2014.
Go to next chapter >>> Holdings
| Percentage share of total passengers by main airport, 2006 | |
| Dublin | 73.4 |
| Cork | 10.4 |
| Shannon | 12.7 |
| Knock | 2.1 |
| Kerry | 1.4 |
| Percentage share of total passengers by main airport, 2014 | |
| Dublin | 82.2 |
| Cork | 8.1 |
| Shannon | 5.9 |
| Knock | 2.7 |
| Kerry | 1.1 |
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