On Friday we will spend two hours with Professor Darren Kelly on tour of Dublin’s Docklands.   As he explained to us, Dublin’s Docklands are Ireland’s “Silicon Valley” – meaning an area of Ireland in which technology companies concentrate their offices and headquarters due to the presence of employee talent that supports high technology and a favorable geographic location for products and services related to technology.  This area of Dublin is home to offices and headquarters for companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter.  Based on your tour of Dublin’s Docklands neighborhood with Professor Kelly, what are your key takeaways on why Dublin’s Docklands area is such a great fit for companies that focus on high technology?

Dublin is a great place for European headquarters for companies because Ireland is the only country in the EU has English as its first language.  Ireland is a hub for many different cultures and therefore there is easy access for employees with diverse backgrounds. For companies expanding and operating in EMEA, this is an invaluable resource.  The low taxes on companies are especially appealing.  It is one of the driving factors for moving to Dublin for multinational companies.  The access to a diverse labor force combined with the low corporate tax makes Dublin an attractive location for companies’ EMEA headquarters.