The Dutch Irish Affair

Who we are

We are an online start-up promoting Ireland’s tech sector.

@johndennehy @Siobhan_Hasner @_davehall

Some of Ireland’s top employers…

10Of the world’s top 10 tech companies located in Ireland

1,100Bars in Dublin

100,000+People working in the tech sector

Ireland by the numbers

57Flights between Ireland and The Netherlands per week

€140 Cost of my last flight (Cork/Amsterdam – Aer Lingus)

300+ Amazing startups

Ireland by the numbers

Once upon a time in Ireland… (circa 1995)

* Thanks to Frontline Ventures/IDA

Then from 2000-2010 came ‘Ireland 2.0’

* Thanks to Frontline Ventures/IDA

And then more…

* Thanks to Frontline Ventures/IDA

The Dutch – Irish Affair

We go way back. The Dutch first came to Ireland in the 17th Century when Lord Orrery brought over 40 families to the country in order to ‘civilize’ the Irish.

Ever since, the Dutch diaspora have been making their presence felt…

Dutch Billy architecturein the 1790’s

Thank you for giving us…

2 Unlimitedin the 90’s

and the TomTomin the 00’s

There are over

4,313 Dutch nationals living in Ireland (we need more).

That’s more than a

39%increase in the community in just 10 years.

Today

Interview with Eefje from Spouses Abroad

How you landed in Ireland

My boyfriend and I were living in Copenhagen, Denmark before we moved to Ireland as he was working there. He was given the opportunity to work in Dublin so we decided to take that chance and come here. Copenhagen wasn’t a place where I managed to settle in. Thankfully Dublin has already ended up being a great decision because the Irish are friendly, helpful, open and everyone speaks English, which makes it a lot easier to communicate.

Impressions of Ireland - how you adjusted

I arrived in Ireland on June 18th so I'm still pretty new to the country but my first impressions have been that of a hard working society and one where they tend to have children at a young age. Dublin is a bit rawer than Copenhagen and Amsterdam which gives the city an edge. This encourages me to build something up for myself and really try and make the best of my time here.

The story of your business

Moving abroad means seeing many new places, traveling a lot, hearing many different languages and meeting many different people and cultures in a very short period of time. As accompanying spouses we know what the struggles are that people come across when moving to a new country.

Struggles such as; Where do I find a job? Where's the nearest supermarket? Where can I find the best or nearest GP? And, how do I pay for things in a country which is as cash driven as Ireland is, where I can barely use my pin card?

My personal experiences of living abroad in Copenhagen with little attention for me as a relocated spouse, and meeting many other spouses in the same situation as Sylvia, helped us made the decision to set-up a company that helps others, like us, who have been relocated internationally.

Accompanying spouses shouldn't be the forgotten group. They often have a lot to offer in their new country of residence and we truly believe that they can have a great positive impact on their new environment and the city can benefit from them. And be clever, investing in an accompanying spouse means your employee will stay forever.

Interview with Vivian Oosterkamp, Online Marketing Specialist

How was the switch from Amsterdam to Dublin?

Adjusting was actually pretty easy for me thanks to Dublin’s great mix of international people. You really don’t feel like a foreigner and I even made some really good Irish friends! Being quite an outdoorsy person too, I loved the fact that Ireland has so much nature to offer. Even close to downtown Dublin you can visit some great beaches like Howth, Sandymount or Bray. And then on weekends you can sometimes rent a car and go on road trips to the West Coast. Beautiful!

So any tips for us?

Getting talking to people! When I think of Irish people, I mostly think of the locals I chat to in pubs and of course the taxi drivers who have the strongest Irish accents! The Irish are very nice and welcoming people and are always eager to show you their country. On the flipside, the weather is a small downside but I guess us Dutchies are used to rainy weather! Ireland beats everything though so it’s best to get some good rain gear and just get out there on rainy, stormy days!!

What about those dark moments when you miss Bitterballen or Stroopwafels?

Ha! Food wise, I have to say that Dublin has some great restaurants and food markets to offer. Even in my neighbourhood of Ranelagh in Dublin 4, there are some great Italian, Thai and Chinese restaurants and pubs with good bar food. There are also lots of nice cafés for Sunday breakfasts.

Yum. Make mine an Eggs Benedict! So you’d recommend a move to Ireland? Absolutely! Working in Dublin has been a great life experience for me. I’ve met so many great friends, and learned so much on a professional level from mentors and colleagues. I feel that people are not just there for the money but rather because they believed in it and wanted to be part of this great success. It’s a very stimulating environment to work in. Sounds good. And when you shutdown that laptop, where can we find you on a Friday night?

Hmm, Oceans Bar in the Tech Village or Slattery’s on Upper Grand Canal Street is a happening hotspot for Dutch tech-peeps.

So why do the Dutch move to Ireland?

It amazes me just how many world class IT companies have their EMEA head offices in Ireland. IT is a very vibrant industry and attracts the best and brightest from all over Europe and beyond. Dublin is the place to be!

Dublin is a great place to start your career and get some international experience. I already got my best friend from the Netherlands to marry an Irish girl.

Thijs van der HaakMarketing Manager, Global Tech Company

JJ Van der LaanHead, Dutch Irish Association

Here’s what the Dutch are saying about Dublin

As a small-business owner in Dublin I find it really easy to get help and advice from fellow business owners and enterprise groups. There’s a willingness to help each other which is great!

Astrid FitzpatrickOwner, Dublin Bike Shop

Stats shows the Dutch move to Ireland for 3 reasons…

1The Lifestyle

2 The People

All that open space!

3

So how can you make the move to Ireland?

1Find a job. There are lots

of opportunities for Dutch speakers with these skills...

Software Development

Online advertising/Marketing

Sales

Finance

Legals

Customer/Technical Support

Visit www.makeitinireland.com to

see the leading companies

Sample JobsPaypal Customer Solutions Fluent Dutch

Microsoft Account Manager SMB Advertising

Accenture Collection Analyst with Dutch

Twitter Client Partner – Sales – Netherlands

Google Online Sales Account Manager (Dutch)

Facebook Account Manager (Dutch)

EMC Sales Associate (Dutch)

35 Amsterdam-Dublin flights per week 8 Maastricht-Dublin flights per week 14 Amsterdam-Cork flights per week

2Get here

3Live here. Visit makeitinireland.com to find everything you need.