IT Geographics

Introduction

Ireland has emerged over the last twenty years as a hotbed of software development activity. As is discussed in the Software section of this website, most of the world's leading software companies have operations in Ireland. In total, there are more than 800 international and indigenous software companies located in Ireland, employing over 25,000 people, of which the indigenous sector comprises more than 11,000 people generating revenues of $1.3 billion.

Concentrations of ICT Activity

Ireland has gained a strong reputation internationally as a hot spot for software development.  At an international level, Silicon Valley remains the benchmark location for software and high-technology ventures but there are a number of other emerging hot spots: Cambridge in the UK, Finland, Sweden and Israel.  Within Ireland, there are several areas with concentrations of ICT activity.  While manufacturing employment, including electronics, tends to be widely dispersed in Ireland, the software industry is concentrated largely in the Dublin area, with smaller regional clusters in Cork, Limerick/Shannon and Galway itself. The Galway regional software cluster comprises three large North American companies, the biggest being Nortel, and over 50 small and medium-sized companies, many of them indigenous start-ups.  These companies span a range of activities from localization to multimedia, and competitive advantage is driven by factor conditions specific to Ireland, such as English-language proficiency and the high level of computer and engineering skills.[1]

National Technology Park

Ireland launched its National Technological Park in 1984, which hosts over 80 organizations employing close to 5,000 people on a 650-acre parkland site, which is situated near Limerick City (the capital of Ireland’s Shannon Region).  The National Technological Park has become home to a growing nucleus of high technology and knowledge-based companies, multinational subsidiaries, R&D entities and support services which occupy more than 30 buildings.  International firms doing business at the park include Clarus, Cook Ireland, Digifone, Dell, Flextronics International, Worldcom, Modus Media, NETg Learning, Orygen, ComputerPREP, QAD, Sumicem and Vistakon (Johnson & Johnson).

The park is managed by Shannon Development (the Irish Government’s Regional Development Company for Ireland’s Shannon Region) in close partnership with the University of Limerick.[2]

eCommerce Campus

Ireland opened its first high-tech eCommerce campus opened on July 5^th, 1999.  The 100-acre National Digital Park at the Citywest Business Campus in County Shannon became the new hub for high-tech communications and electronic commerce companies in Europe.  The National Digital Park is a joint venture between IDA Ireland and Citywest Business Campus.  The Irish Government recommended the establishment of a Digital Park in its report "Information Society Ireland: A strategy for Action" published in March 1997. The government’s intervention and unique landscaping of the Campus has made it a success with over 50 companies employing 1,700 people located there, including high-tech and multinational companies such as Nortel, Xilinx, TDK, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Viking, Tuchenhagen, Saturn, Merck, Act Manufacturing, Iomega, Rand Technologies, JD Edwards and Netscape. Eircom is developing its flagship Business Service Center at Citywest, which will be geared to the needs of the company's top 5,000 corporate customers.[3]