Twitter sets up home in Dublin’s digital playground

TWITTER will follow Facebook and Google by opening a new international office in Dublin. The announcement was tweeted by Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority, which declared itself "absolutely thrilled" with a "fantastic addition to Ireland's dynamic digital media cluster".
 
The size and role of the new operation is yet to be revealed but the Guardian anticipates that "if Google is anything to go by, Twitter will start in Dublin with finance, user support and marketing skills and expand from there".
 
Twitter is just the latest in a long series of digital firms to pitch up on the Emerald Isle. Facebook will have around 300 employees in Dublin by the end of 2012. PayPal, eBay and Google have almost 5,000 between them.
 
Ireland’s appeal can be partly explained by its economic conditions. Companies pay a corporate tax rate of just 12.5 per cent, and can legally transfer their profits to tax havens.  

The news will come as a welcome fillip in a week that saw Irish GDP rise a better-than-expected 1.6 per cent for the second quarter. Digital technology may yet give the Celtic Tiger back its roar. ·