Over the last few years we have seen Ireland reduced from a tiger economy and a beacon of hope for smaller developing nations to a case study of mismanagement and one of the most high profile victims of a property bubble. Since the subprime mortgage bubble burst, Ireland has seen unprecedented unemployment rates and a new era of brain drain with highly qualified graduates departing the shores. How true the statistics are I don’t know, but I’ll put them here for effect. Apparently 110 people are leaving Ireland on a daily basis looking for a better life elsewhere.
Over recent years, technology has become an increasingly important part of the Irish economy. With the demise of the construction industry, young and hungry entrepreneurs have found a new sector from which to make their fortune. However, one could be forgiven for thinking that Ireland isn’t a very likely place for a tech start up. It is thousands of miles away from Silicon Valley and is associated more with milk and butter than cutting edge technology. But there are a number of big tech success stories in Ireland to give us all hope.