Businesses with a trademark can register a .ie domain but they must have a substantive connection to Ireland. A Registered Business Name is not quite the same as a trademark and anyone can register an RBN. When the .ie domain dropped, it was probably picked up by someone with an equally valid claim on the doman. Blacknight has launched a dropped IE website (
www.dropped.ie ) where the recent .ie drops appear.
The .ie ccTLD is growing and the .ie is beginning to replace the .com as the default TLD in Ireland. However there are some good keyword type domains still available - but mainly to Irish registrants.
Technically .eu ccTLD is supposed to be for residents of the EU and other rights holders but the registry is so incompetent that a large number of .eu domains are owned by people in the US and Canada.
Regards...jmcc