The .irish top-level domain (TLD) is a community-based TLD (or gTLD-round-2 application) that provides a direct link to the global digital Irish community. Held by the Dot-Irish LLC, the .irish domain offers an online identity to the Irish community wherever they may be. It’s a dedicated platform for Irish people, businesses, and culture globally.
.icann.org was referenced to gather the legitimate recognition for this TLD. As per Icann, the international authority for managing and coordinating the Domain Name System, .irish is one of the generic top-level domains (gTLD) in the internet world.
The .irish was officially launched in 2015, as reported by the Irish Times. It was initially available to trademark holders only, then to the public. The domain is often used by Irish businesses, organizations, and individuals who are looking to express their Irish identity online.
For example, many companies have adopted the use of .irish domain, including Tourism Ireland who established the Ireland.com portal in 2013 and switched to Ireland.ie in 2017. Similarly, the official website of the president of the Republic of Ireland uses the President.ie domain. The registrar for the .irish domain is Blacknight Solutions, an Irish owned ICANN accredited domain registrar and hosting company.
It’s worth mentioning that top-level domains carry significant weight in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). A .irish TLD can help a website to rank higher in search results for queries related to Ireland. This might include searches for Irish culture, travel to Ireland, or Irish companies. This relevance in search queries was referenced from sitechecker.pro, an SEO platform providing ratings based on TLD use.
However, it’s important to note that any organization or individual can register a domain name on .irish, irrespective of their location. Since the .irish domain is not a country-code TLD, it does not restrict registration. This opens the door for many non-Irish entities to use the .irish TLD, potentially diluting its geographic relevance.
In conclusion, the .irish top-level domain is a unique digital identifier for the Irish community or those who wish to be identified with it. It serves as a useful tool for online brand recognition and search engine optimization specifically related to Irish content.
Sources:
1. ICANN.org
2. The Irish Times “Irish web domains can now be registered in Gaelic”
3. Blog.Blacknight.com “Dot Irish is Now Live and General Registration Begins on 25 June”
4. Sitechecker.pro “Top 10 Domain Providers”
5. Ireland.com
6. President.ie.
