Dublin is rich in the arts, but did you know that it’s also a thriving business center with an advanced knowledge economy? It’s a city where you and your students can explore ancient Viking shipbuilding sites, retrace the steps of James Joyce’s Leopold Bloom or visit the hottest Internet start-ups just minutes away. No matter what you do, you will find William Butler Yeats’s words ring true—there are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.
Business & Politics in Dublin
With one of the world’s hottest start-up scenes, business is booming in Dublin. This wasn’t always the case. After the Celtic Tiger of the late 1990s, Ireland faced a financial downturn during the first decade of the 21st century. By raising taxes and cutting spending while still encouraging business growth, the government helped the economy surge ahead of the Eurozone by late 2014. And now, Ireland is also experiencing an influx of immigrants; possibility is in the air. When your students debate about which policies will best foster continued growth, they won’t differ greatly from pundits in the European Union.
Dublin’s high-growth companies are in skilled sectors such as financial services, bio-pharmaceuticals and clean technology. Ireland is home to such global leaders as Pfizer, Fujitsu, Novartis and Trend Micro. EF’s business- and innovation-focused programs take you into the heart of the enterprise, with visits to such companies as Make It In Ireland, which helps US professionals move to Dublin. But ask a Dubliner transplant what they love most about their new home, and they won’t quote the Wall Street Journal. People move to Dublin and stay there because, in spite of its rapid expansion, Baile Átha Cliath (as the Irish call it) remains the most convivial place in the world. Everybody, no matter how high up they are on the corporate ladder, is a friend first.
Take the next step and bring your students abroadto Dublin or help us create a custom itinerary based on your curriculum. Let’s make it happen.
Read our other academic related blog posts here.