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...the Irish who invented ejector seats, did the maths behind MRI scanning and worked on the first vertical aircraft, to name just a few.”

“We are also exceptionally good at engineering,” he told me.“This year we have been celebrating the centenary of the building of the Titanic, which was a masterpiece of shipbuilding at the time, having adopted many huge steps forward. If only we had not handed it over to someone else to sail!”

“Here in Northern Ireland, we are now applying our nerd gene to clean tech, software, telecoms and particularly digital media. I guess the latter...

...trend has grown because we also have a strong arts culture whether it is film or music, so inevitably we have been finding ways to exploit our strengths in this area online as well as in a live environment. For a long time there has been a link with the big media outfits in the US, who subcontract post production work to experts in Northern Ireland. This is personified in the direct cable which was laid under the Atlantic to connect us with the Hollywood studios and the East Coast so we can work whilst they sleep. One of the most powerful groups supporting this sector is the Irish Technology Leaders Group (ITLG) which comprises a load of ex Irish tech guys in California, including Craig Barratt, the former chairman of Intel. Irish companies that want to cross the Pond will automatically find friends who will help them get up and running over there.”

1.7 million people with entrepreneurship and tenacity in their DNA

Alan spoke of the tenacity of the Irish — a determination to see things through to the end — which means that entrepreneurs don’t want to give up. And because they are heavily supported by organisations such as Northern Ireland Science... continued on page three >

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