A complaints watchdog received 245 notifications of alleged racism in the second half of last year — the highest six-month tally since it began receiving complaints almost four years ago.

Black Africans are the main target for racism with a new report showing Dublin and Limerick have the highest number of incidents of alleged racism.

A quarterly study issued by iReport.ie) found that black Africans are the main targets for racism in this country, with Dublin and Limerick recording the highest number of alleged incidents.

A website that logs reports of racism has said it has received 158 reports since it launched on Jul 11, including 22 reports of online racism.