IDA Ireland

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And I believe, and I could be wrong, but I believe that represents about 50% of the country's tax receipts.

So when those small number of tech companies meet up with the Irish politicians, what do you think they talk about? I think IDA Ireland is absolutely a phenomenal organization.

I was one of the first beneficiaries at AOL in 1996 when IDA started their inward investment strategy.

30 years later, Those tech companies are leveraged and Ireland is at incredible risk.

helping Irish businesses get the finance, skills and market access they need to scale internationally.

He's also calling for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to work much more closely together so that Irish firms get a bigger share of the opportunities created when overseas investment comes here.

Minister Bourke joins me now.

Good evening, Minister Bourke.

To scale will be an even bigger challenge because we're trying to get some products into the market and critically what I would love to see the new savings and investment scheme that the Tánaiste is coming forward with if funds from that could be used to scale and assist Irish indigenous businesses and get a return back in the Irish economy because it's been challenging getting capital to scale for Irish-born companies and It's a European-wide problem, and as Chair of the Competitive Council now, as I chair European meetings, and we will be doing so next week, I can absolutely get that view right across Europe.

And it's coming out in terms of the GDP growth for Europe, which is really stagnating in many different countries, and we're trying to bring forward different legislation like the Industrial Accelerator Act, and EU Inc trying to get more investment in trying to get universal rules across the EU to get capital in to make it easier for investors and if we don't make progress in that you know that's the big challenge I think from an Irish and European context to get Europe investing in its own talented industry.

In that op-ed at the weekend, you called for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to work even more closely together.

What specifically do you see happening there? Maybe what is not quite aligned at the minute and what difference might that make in order to help smaller companies scale?

Yeah, I think at the moment it's like, it's like two, two groups like walking down a forest and the big trees in the middle and they don't really know they're on two paths heading and they don't realize that they're actually over here.

Like it's interesting that, like I know you mentioned it, Rory Bullen in here, like an IDA have done a phenomenal job over the years and attracting FDI investment into the country.

And it's like, it's, it's an amazing story.

Like, and it's the foundation of, of the sector as the foundation of the economy we have today.

Enterprise Ireland then would support the indigenous sector and their job is to help grow companies that will export.

So it's less about in Ireland, it's more about exporting.

So it's not a total connection, but as part of the workshop, we got them together and said like, How are you selling? How are the two of you together, IDA, Enterprise Ireland, how are the two of you selling the total picture when you go to the boardrooms? And I don't think that's happening as well as it could be.

The groups don't tend to go together to sell Ireland.

Right

... from IDA Ireland-

Right

... to, you know, as a kind of an incentive to keep operating here.

Joining me now in studio to discuss the unique investment opportunities Ireland provides is Siobhan Hanley, the director at US Midwest and South at IDA Ireland.

Siobhan, great to have you in with us.

First, can you just tell our viewers a little bit about what it is that you do at IDA Ireland before we drive into some of these investment opportunities?

Sure.

Absolutely.

Siobhan, really appreciate you taking the time to be with us in studio to highlight some of the investment opportunities in Ireland and some of the companies we talk about on a daily basis that are already there.

Really appreciate it.

That's Siobhan Hanley, the director of US Midwest and South at IDA Ireland.