DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's gross domestic product (GDP) fell 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from a revised drop of 5.4 percent in the previous quarter, data from the Central Statistics Office showed on Tuesday.
On an annual basis, GDP dropped 8.5 percent in the first quarter and economists said the former "Celtic Tiger" economy was on track to decline by between 9 and 8 percent this year.
Economists had forecast a 9.1 percent drop in GDP for the first quarter, on a median basis. The lowest forecast was for a 12.2 percent fall.
Gross National Product (GNP) dropped 12 percent in the first quarter from a year ago. GNP had been expected to fall 9.8 percent in the first three months of the year.
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