Exports fell by over €5bn in April this year compared to March, preliminary figures from the CSO have revealed.
The €5.4bn drop represents a 32% fall from the previous month's figures.
The total value of exports that month were €11.6bn.
The figures cover the first full month of the lockdown where economies, not just in Ireland but throughout the EU and around the world shut down, and millions were put out of work.
However, CSO figures show that the total exports from January to April is higher than in the same period last year.
Imports, meanwhile, dropped by €735m, 11%, to €5.8bn
This has led to a 45% drop in the trade surplus in just one month.