100,000 is a big number, but it’s not really about the number. It’s about the 100,000 people, businesses, organisations and ideas behind it.
As Blacknight closes in on the incredible milestone of 100,000 .ie domains under management, it’s come as something of a surprise just how close that number has become. Until recently, reaching such a milestone hadn’t been something we’d given much thought to.
And, more importantly, worth celebrating with the people who got us here.
A little bit of .ie history
The .ie domain has changed quite a bit over the years. When .ie first started, registering a domain wasn’t quite as straightforward as it is today. You had to show a genuine connection to Ireland and provide proof that you had a right to the name you wanted, for example, by showing that it matched your business name. In 2018, the rules were relaxed, making it easier to register a .ie domain without having to prove your claim to the name. The Irish connection requirement remains, helping .ie retain its strong ties to Ireland while making it simpler for people and businesses to get online. That evolution has helped .ie grow into what it is today. And we’ve been part of that journey for many years.
As Ireland’s largest .ie registrar, we’ve worked with customers of all shapes and sizes to register and manage their .ie domains. We’ve also been involved in the wider .ie community for years, including through our work with the .ie Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). So when we look at that number getting closer and closer to 100,000, we know it represents quite a journey, but the number itself only tells part of the story.
So, who are the 100,000?
Well, that’s what makes this milestone so interesting. There isn’t really a typical .ie customer. There are the small businesses getting their first website online. The entrepreneurs launching something they’ve been working on for months. The family business that’s been around for generations. The person turning a hobby into something more. There are charities, community groups, clubs, schools, freelancers, government and growing companies. There are businesses that started with one domain and have gone on to build entire online operations around it. And there are people who simply wanted a little piece of the internet that said “Ireland”.
Every one of those domains has a story behind it.
Somewhere in the next few thousand registrations is another story waiting to be added to the list. Number 100,000.
And we want to celebrate whoever it is
We’ve been thinking of the best way to celebrate such a big milestone, and we decided that the person who gets us there deserves something pretty special.
So, the customer who registers the 100,000th .ie domain will have the chance to win a bundle consisting of:
MacBook Air
Sony WH-1000XM6 noise-cancelling headphones or AirPods
Apple Watch
Smart speaker
€100 Blacknight credit
10 years of their winning .ie domain
And we couldn’t let the people immediately around number 100,000 miss out. The two registrations before and the two registrations after the 100,000th domain will each receive:
5 years’ .ie renewal
a €100 Blacknight voucher
So there will be five customers right at the heart of this milestone who will have something extra to celebrate.
Could you be one of them?
That’s the fun part. Right now, we don’t know who will register number 100,000. It could be an established Irish business. It could be someone launching their first website. It could be a brand-new idea that doesn’t even exist yet. New businesses. New projects. New ideas. New chapters.
A domain might look like a small thing, but for the person registering it, it can be the beginning of something much bigger. So as we get closer to 100,000, we’re going to be keeping a very close eye on the numbers. And when we get there, we’ll be celebrating the customer who takes us across the line — along with the thousands and thousands of customers who came before them.
100,000 .ie domains. 100,000 stories.
About the Author: Alicia Stumke
