Ireland is one of the most popular and profitable locations for multinationals wishing to Invest in Europe. (IMD World Competitiveness Reprot 2005)
The island of Ireland is situated in the north west of Europe.
The population of Ireland is approximately 4 million of whom 38% are under the age of 25.
Ireland is 7 hours flying time from New York, 1 hour from London and 2 hours from Frankfurt. Ireland is on GMT – 5 hours ahead of New York, 1 hour behind Paris and 7 hours behind Hong Kong.
English is the universal native language. Gaelic (Irish) is also spoken.
Ireland is a stable parliamentary democracy with a written constitution. Governments are normally elected for 5 year periods. The legal system is based on common law, legislation, the Constitution and EU law.
Ireland is a member of the EU. As member of the EU, Ireland provides access to a market of over 500 million consumers in 25 countries.
It is currently estimated that approximately 36.7% of the Irish population are under 25. This compares with the European average of approximately 29%.
Over 1,200 foreign companies employing in excess of 130,000 people have located in Ireland.
In recent years, economic growth rates have been consistently among the highest in the OECD averaging 7%.
