More international firms looking to Galway

Date Published: 09-Jun-2010

By Dara Bradley

The number of major international companies looking at Galway as a possible location for investment this year looks set to surpass the total for each of the past three years.

A total of 18 potential investors – who would have the ability to become major employers – visited Galway in the first five months of this year.

This year’s figure of 18 so far has surpassed the total amount of site visits here from potential investors in both 2007 and 2008 and is already close to last year’s total.

And the IDA is expected to push for more visits between now and the year end in order to lure more high-end companies such as EA Games who announced the creation of 200 jobs in Galway last month.

Data released by Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keefe shows that a total of 71 potential international investors visited sites in Galway City and County in the past three and a half years.

The investors, mostly of large multinational companies, made the visits with the IDA with a view to setting up operations in Galway.

Minister O’Keefe said the breakdown of the itineraries of the investors was not available but he said generally potential investors would visit sites in the city and county during the one trip.

The Minister gave a detailed breakdown of the potential investor visits to Galway, which included 17 in 2007, 14 in 2008, 22 in 2009 and 18 so far this year. Jim Murren, West Regional Director of IDA, said he expected a significant number of potential investors would visit Galway during the remainder of the year, though not necessarily at the same high rate as during the first five months.

“We have had a good level of success in attracting businesses to set-up in Galway this year and last year, against the backdrop of the global economic situation.

“I would expect that there will be a significant number of more potential investors brought on site visits to Galway between now and the end of the year as we continue to try and attract high-end jobs.

“You also must remember that it could take years before these initial site visits from potential investors actually result in jobs – it is a long process,” added Mr Murren.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Tribune