Globalization has become an increasing trend in Ireland in the past couple of decades, especially in Dublin. The city of Dublin has turned into a hub for many businesses in their Docklands area, housing the headquarters for a plethora of major companies including Google (which is the headquarters for all of Europe, Africa and the Middle East), Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and many more. Most people see this as a good thing, but their is an argument against globalization as well.

Most of the argument against globalization comes from the basis that the rich get increasingly richer, allowing large corporations to monopolize and swallow their competition. Corporate greed tends to ignore consumer and employee rights, doing everything a company can to make the most revenue possible, which is why so many people have protested against it. Furthermore, globalization can result in a loss of local culture, which is a major reason as to why Irish people may be against it, because the community culture of Ireland is so prominent. This local culture is loss to the giant corporations that tend to take over the world, like McDonald’s and Starbucks. You can find them anywhere and it makes it hard for other companies to stand out. However, people have taken action to go against these protests toward globalization. They want to change people’s view of globalization bringing about unfair labor conditions. Companies have been attempting to annul that by abiding to the use of certified fair trade goods, making sure that they come from a stable and fair producer.

Regarding globalization in Ireland specifically, the fact that Dublin is in the middle of a busy harbor helps bring in companies wanting to expand. Take the Docklands for example. Just a decade ago, there were only a few buildings in the Docklands and no expectation of a business hub. But through globalization, the amount of businesses within the Docklands increased ten fold. Dublin has embraced the effects of globalization, making it a part of their culture. Moreover, the transformation of the Temple Bar area is another indicator of the globalization of the city. The increase in local businesses and shops revived the culture of the city and made it an outstanding place for tourism, which is the biggest industry in Dublin by far, with almost half of their visitors coming for tourist purposes.

Although, Brexit may have a bit of an impact on Ireland in the near future, as trading will be affected. The costs of imports and exports between Ireland and Britain will be increasing, because there may now be tariffs that weren’t a problem before. On the other hand, Brexit opens up opportunities for Ireland, as they will now be able to attract companies that want to be stationed in a nation that is part of the EU, allowing them to continue their globalization and keep moving forward.

While globalization is a fear for many people, it also opens so many new opportunities for the countries and cities that take advantage of it. Dublin is a great example of a city that has done just that, and it will be intriguing to see how they continue to push their business motives in the future, especially with the news of Brexit in their foresight.