Leaving Cert Regional Geography Essay

Secondary Activity in the Greater Dublin Area

The Dublin area is the location for nearly 25% of Ireland's manufacturing industries. 40% of people in the area are employed in manufacturing. Dublin is a nodal point, a focus of route ways, rail and air networks in Ireland. It contains Ireland's main port and airport, providing direct access to foreign markets. During the 1990's, 60% of all new industrial development in Ireland was in the Dublin region. Ireland's rate of corporation tax, 12.5%, is lower than other countries. This attracts MNC's here. Modern infrastructure, state of the art telecommunications and accessible industrial estates attract MNC's. Knowledge-based MNC's are also attracted to the area because of its well-educated workforce. 80% of third-level colleges in Ireland are located in the region. The educated workforce has a low age profile: 45% are under 25 years old. Industrial output per worker is higher in the Dublin region, and the manufacturing wages are 10% higher than the national average. 

The Dublin region has a wide variety of industries. They range from traditional industries to modern growth industries. Traditional industries make use of the raw materials available from the farms in the region. They tend to locate close to the City centre because of proximity to the port. Examples of traditional industries are Guinness and the Irish Independent. Modern growth industries like Google and Pfizer locate on the outskirts of the city. Due to the M50, this area is easily accessible and still has a large labour pool.

Satellite towns allow for future expansion of businesses in the Greater Dublin Region. Pfizer has picked in the satellite town off Clondalkin jut off the M50. It currently employs around 1000 people here and has invested over €640 million in the Science Foundation Ireland. 

Manufacturing is widely dispersed in the Greater Dublin Region. Dublin is the largest centre for ICT in Europe. However, the Dublin Region is highly dependent on foreign investment. Over 800 foreign-owned companies are located here, 350 of which are American. Dublin has recently suffered many job losses due to foreign companies withdrawing from Ireland. In 2009, 30000 jobs were lost in the Dublin region.