Clare County Council today launched a new promotional pack, ‘Connect With Clare – an international hub for innovation, creativity and connectivity’, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and multinational activity to the area.
As well as providing an overall economic and social profile of Clare, the package contains detailed profiles of the main county towns of Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush, Scarriff, Ennistymon and Killaloe. It also includes details on the county’s serviced land and development sites, telecommunications infrastructure, hotel and conference facilities, business assistance from state agencies and available local authority supports.
“Clare is a unique location combining vibrant business activity with excellent tourist attractions and an unsurpassed quality of life. It is a proven location for international companies and a gateway to global markets,” explained Cllr Christy Curtin, mayor of Clare.
“Some of Clare’s unique selling points include an international airport with US customs and border pre-clearance, as well as direct access to the US, UK and European markets, low corporation tax, world-class business space and development sites, an unrivalled skills and education base, a wealth of renewable energy resources, a 100km-deep water estuary, and advanced energy and telecommunications infrastructure. Backed up by a variety of high-quality amenities, housing and schools, Clare is reinforcing its growing reputation as a leading investment location,” he added.
Clare county manager Tom Coughlan also welcomed the promotional pack, saying: “Clare has a wealth of natural resources, geographic advantages and infrastructural assets which distinguish it from its competitors and enhances the competitiveness of Ireland’s Mid West region.”
Attracting international investment
A number of internationally renowned corporations are presently operating in Clare including Intel, Lufthansa Technik, Zimmer, Roche Ireland, GE Capital, Schwarz Pharma, GECAS, Magellan Aviation, Avocent, Digital River, Element Six and Molex.
Recently, Genworth Financial, a US global financial security company, announced it is to create 117 new jobs in the Shannon Free Zone over the next three years.
