merrion street

Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened The Foundry, Google’s new Digital Innovation Centre at the company’s EMEA Headquarters in Dublin today. The Taoiseach was joined by Jobs Minister Richard Bruton at the event. Google, which is celebrating ten years in Ireland this year, has invested €5.5 million in The Foundry, its first Digital Innovation Centre in Europe.

Speaking at the event, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said:

In the ten short years since Google opened operations in Ireland, the rise of Ireland's digital sector has transformed an industry which now supports almost 95,000 jobs in the Irish economy. Today's establishment by Google of its Digital Innovation Centre here in Dublin is strategically significant. It will draw companies from across Europe to Dublin and will enhance Ireland’s reputation as the Internet Capital of Europe. Any global digital company looking to locate in Europe will find it very hard to bypass Dublin.

Minister Richard Bruton said:

Digital industries form a key part of the Government’s plans for jobs and growth, and in the past year we have started to see real progress with 3,000 private sector jobs now being created every month. We must not only support world-leading multinationals like Google who are doing amazing things for the sector in Ireland, but also support Irish companies to take advantage of the opportunities that the digital revolution offers. The Action Plan for Jobs contains initiatives to provide supports, for example, to Irish companies to take advantage of the €4billion opportunity offered by trading online – but we must do more. The establishment of The Foundry within Google’s EMEA campus is a fantastic addition to Ireland’s supports to companies seeking to take advantage of the massive opportunities offered by online trading.

Between now and the end of the year 80 events are planned for The Foundry which will be attended by about 5,000 business people from across Europe. The first, which will take place tomorrow, will be attended by representatives from Ikea in Sweden, Swatch in Switzerland and Boots in the UK as well as Irish companies including Aer Lingus and Paddy Power.

It is anticipated that The Foundry will bring in about 15,000 extra business tourists to Dublin annually. According to figures published by Fáilte Ireland, there were 154 international conferences in Dublin last year bringing 85,000 delegates and €106 million to the city. Business tourists, on average spend about triple that of a regular tourist, bringing valuable revenue to the city and also contributing to an image of Dublin as a great place to do business.