Last Chance to Stake Your Claim as Dot-IRISH Domain Name Land Rush Draws to a Close
Landrush For .irish domains closes tomorrow
Domain name registrar Blacknight has issued a reminder to companies interested in .IRISH domain names that there is just one day left to secure premium names in the Landrush phase of the new Dot-Irish domain registry.
And as the new registry prepares to enter the General Availability phase, Blacknight has also announced the launch of a new series of podcasts celebrating some of the pioneers who have chosen to be among the first to identify their brand or message with .IRISH.
Part of the global expansion of the internet domain name system, .IRISH is one of hundreds of new Top Level Domains (TLDs) which have come on stream in the past 2 years. Companies and individuals are no longer restricted to a handful of generic TLDs like .COM or .ORG, or the country-code TLDs such as .IE and .UK. The new TLDs dramatically expand the possibilities for naming websites and online services, while creating new opportunities to identify with a particular group, activity or culture.
As a domain registrar, Blacknight deals in hundreds of TLDs, but the Carlow-based company is especially pleased to welcome .IRISH to its portfolio.
“As founder and CEO of the only Irish-owned ICANN accredited registrar, I fully support .IRISH and am ‘all-in’ on this new domain extension’s success,” says Blacknight CEO Michele Neylon.
“As an indigenous Irish technology company we want Irish businesses to be able to succeed internationally and believe that this domain is another route to success in the global market. Blacknight is a 100% Irish owned company and we are proud of it”.
‘Land Rush’ is the period during which preferred names may be applied for before the General Availability ‘first come first serve’ registration period begins. It’s an opportunity for businesses, startups, companies and anyone who wants a generic or keyword domain, to apply for the short, catchy domain name that suits them best.
Once the Land Rush phase closes on June 20th, there will be a few days to allow for the allocation of the applied for domain names as appropriate, before the registry opens to General Availability on June 25th.
There’s been a lot of interest in .IRISH domain names, especially among the millions of people worldwide who identify with Irish heritage and culture. Mervyn O’Shaugnessy, Chief Operating Officer at the .IRISH registry explains: “The launch of .IRISH provides the global Irish community with a distinctive digital identity that can be easily recognized and understood throughout the world. Whether it’s for business and professional use or for lifestyle and leisure, .IRISH gives Irish people everywhere a really meaningful digital identity that clearly says ‘Irish’.”
To celebrate the new .IRISH domain extension, Blacknight has announced the launch of a series of podcasts featuring some of the pioneers who have signed on to the registry’s founders programme.
The list includes brands like DublinDistillers.irish and business organisations like Digital.irish. There are many examples of businesses making use of popular keywords such as Printing.irish. And it includes sites serving the interest in Irish language and culture, such as Learn.irish and Bitesize.irish.
Eoin Ó Conchúir, founder of Bitesize.irish says the name is a perfect fit for his online language teaching site (formerly known as bitesizeirishgaelic.com).
The new podcast will be produced and presented by award winning podcaster and radio-producer Conn Ó Muíneacháin, who edits Blacknight’s technology news site Technology.ie.
The podcast will launch on June 25 - to coincide with General Availability of .IRISH domains.
Blacknight is offering .IRISH domains to customers worldwide for the price of €99.95 during Landrush and €30 during General Availability. For more information, visit Blacknight.irish.
About Blacknight
Blacknight (http://www.blacknight.com/) are an Irish based, ICANN accredited domain registrar and hosting company. Recipients of several awards for their revolutionary use of social media, Blacknight are one of Europe’s most cutting edge Internet companies. Blacknight constantly seek to lead the way by introducing innovative solutions for its client base and provide dedicated servers and co-location as well as a comprehensive range of Microsoft Windows and Linux based hosting services and domain name registration services to business globally. IP transit services and other solutions for more demanding business and academic customers are offered a la carte. Fibre broadband services for both business and domestic users are also available throughout most of Ireland.