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?
The Dublin Docklands area is a great fit for companies that focus on high technology due to the multinational nature of Dublin and its easy access to employees from around the world. With Dublin being the only English speaking country in the EU, it acts as the perfect catalyst for multinational engagement, which is appealing to large multinational corporations. Also, the “fire sale” that was a result of the debt owed to Germany made the facilities financially appealing to large corporations looking to expand on a multinational level. In addition, the lower corporate tax rates are another incentive for both large corporations and small venture capital-funded startups. This leaves a considerable profit within total revenue for many firms that relocate to Dublin.