#11: The Irish Tech Sector – Story of Software Podcast

This week, we are joined by Sean O’Sullivan, CTO at Engage EHS to explore the evolution of the Irish tech sector in the second half of the 20th century. 

In this episode, Padraig Coffey, CEO of Zartis, is joined by Sean O’Sullivan, CTO at Engage EHS, as they explore the evolution of the Irish tech sector in the second half of the 20th century. 

 

Note: The ‘History of Software’ podcast has been rebranded to The Story of Software. The focus remains on exploring technology from an evolutionary perspective of trying to understand how what we know today came to be. We will continue to explore topics from the early dawn of software technology to the state-of-the-art today and what is envisioned to come next.

 

The Irish Tech Sector Today

For the past 5 years, Ireland has ranked as the fastest growing economy in the European Union. This is in no small part due to its booming technology sector. In this episode, we explore how the Irish tech industry as we know it today came to be.

The Irish Tech Sector Then

The first stored-program computer was purchased by the Irish Sugar company, and it arrived in Ireland in 1957. Its purpose was to perform complex calculations regarding payments to sugar beet farmers. Around the same time, in 1956, the first multinational – IBM – set up in Ireland. A decade later, in 1968, the first indigenous technology company – System Dynamics – was set up.

In the following decades, Ireland would see a growing number of multinationals and indigenous tech companies open up offices. This has enabled a shift in the wider economic and societal outlook of the country. Moving away from an agrarian society towards high value-added industries, from a conservative to a more liberal society.

To learn more, follow us on a deep dive through the second half of the 20th century in the Irish tech sector.

You can find our podcast on:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcherDeezer, & any other platform of your choice.

We hope you enjoy listening to our tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: podcast@zartis.com.

Zartis Tech Review

Your monthly source for AI and software related news