Ireland's Big Tech Play

Ireland may be known for its leprechauns (they are real, right?) and rolling green hills, but it also wants to be known for technology. IDA Ireland’s Helen Burke was in DC last week talking to tech companies about considering her country for their European operations. Her organization, which is the economic development arm of the Irish government, has already attracted Google, Yahoo, eBay, and Apple. Some DC area tech firms have also joined the community, including Mandiant, which has about 50 software engineers there, and AOL, which has 200. Helen, who we snapped at a stop in Alexandria, Va., says Ireland has been building a tech community for 30 years, with pioneers like Dell, IBM, Intel, and Oracle setting up shop in Ireland early on. 

Mandiant founder Kevin Mandia chats with Ireland minister of state Jason Sherlock. Helen says some of the companies have come because of Ireland’s EU membership, which gives them access to a wider market. She adds that US companies have invested more in Ireland in the last 20 years than Brazil, Russia, India, and China combined. Ireland is also churning out a tech workforce, with higher ed offered for free in Ireland, and a push by the government to increase science and technology careers. Helen, who’s based in New York, one of six Irish economic development offices in North America, visits DC area tech every six weeks. The IDA decided three years ago to focus on recruiting emerging businesses that may one day grow to the size of Facebook and Twitter, hopefully while they’re in Ireland. (We think green tech companies seem like the perfect fit.)