Happy St Patrick's Day - celebrate Irish in IT

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Like many of you, I’ve got Irish heritage.  The Irish have spread their culture right around the globe, which is how my family came to be in New Zealand.

 So I googled “Saint Patrick’s Day Technology IT” and came up with a whole lot of ways to celebrate the Irish influence in Technology and IT!

 In 2007, the Irish Technology Leadership Group was established by Irish and Irish-American technology leaders in Silicon Valley.

This link between Ireland and America is so strong that the Institutes of Technology Ireland launched a special Ireland Homecoming Study Programme, allowing those of Irish descent to travel to Ireland for career-focused higher education, at up to 40 per cent less than the standard rate for non-EU students.

This programme applies to the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Irish Nationals, and non-resident passport holders, residing outside of the European Union to return to Ireland for their Higher Education studies.  Yes, that does include NZers and Australians – check out the selection criteria here!

The Irish have proactively promoted their tech abilities, with their very own Innovation Centre, SVG Partners, right in the middle of Silicon Valley.  Special mention should go to John Hartnett, founder of SVG Partners, and after whom Ireland’s own Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre is named.

The Irish are great at helping each other out -  and the Irish Technology Leadership Group is an affiliate partner of the Innovation Centre, connecting residents with their built in networks.  See also Enterprise Ireland, with a national network of nine regional offices throughout Ireland, and over 30 international locations, facilitating Irish Tech access to more than 60 countries worldwide.

So – thanks Saint Patrick!  You travelled to Ireland to spread new ideas about Christianity, and today’s Irish in Tech are continuing to spread new ideas! Slainte everyone!