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Taoiseach at launch of "Getting Irish Business Online"

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today attended the launch of the Getting Irish Business Online initiative. Also present at the launch in Google Headquarters in Dublin were Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton and Minister of State for Small Business John Perry.

Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach stressed the importance of an online presence for Irish businesses:

For most businesses, having a presence online is no longer an optional extra: it’s an essential part of business in the twenty-first century...

It is in this context that the fact that up to 40% of Irish SMEs do not have a website is deeply worrying.

It is often said that ‘there is no recession online’. Irish businesses need to be establishing themselves online now to get a foothold in the online market and to diversify their customers. In the challenging economic times that we are working to overcome it would help Irish businesses survive and keep people in jobs.

This is the value of this great initiative being launched here today. To get more Irish small business online so they can sell their goods and services from Ballina to Beijing....

The Getting Irish Business Online initiative will particularly help those with limited knowledge of the internet, for whom starting a website can be a daunting task.

It will help businesses across the country take that first step into the global market and show them the opportunities there for the taking.

The Taoiseach concluded by encouraging businesses to get online:

Irish businesses need to embrace the opportunity an online presence can bring.

We want to continue to work in partnership with people like yourselves to get this message out to the world that Ireland is open for business.

Yes, the country is in a tough place. There are a great many challenges ahead of us yet. The road to recovery will not be easy.

But we will get there.

Step by step. Decision by decision.

With initiatives such as this.

 

You can view the Taoiseach's full speech below

Read the Taoiseach's full speech here.

The Taoiseach did a doorstep interview after his speech. The Taoiseach spoke on a number of topics concerning the Irish Business Online Initiative and the Irish Economy.