Virtual Ireland Houses on Web - Minister Kitt

Mr. Tom Kitt, T.D., Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs announced today (Tuesday 14th July, 1998) a new initiative to promote Ireland as a tourist, trade and investment location on the World Wide Web. This initiative builds on the Ireland House concept and is aimed at developing a network of virtual Ireland Houses using the World Wide Web.

Minister Kitt, speaking during a function in the Alexander Hotel to officially launch Millennium Controls Ltd., a new Irish-based high-tech company, said "The technology revolution means that we have to look at new ways of positioning information about Ireland so that we can maximise all opportunities to promote our foreign earnings interests. The Ireland House concept which has worked so well in the real market place may provide an answer to this demand in the virtual market place - if we can tailor our individual websites to deliver comprehensive messages about Ireland through the Internet."

"The objective of the initiative is to ensure that we have a consolidated Internet presence to boost access to information about Ireland as a tourist, investment and source of goods and services location," the Minister continued.

Minister Kitt added: "It is clear that the use of information technology to promote Ireland will be a critical factor in our promotional efforts in the years to come". "The medium has become the message and I want to make sure that Ireland does not lose out on any promotional opportunities for lack of co-ordination of our presence on the Web, " said the Minister.

"I have asked Enterprise Ireland to co-ordinate this project and present proposals for implementation to me as soon as possible," the Minister concluded.

This Dublin-based company was founded earlier this year by three directors (Greg Duggan, Paul Murphy and John Weadick) all of who are mechanical engineering graduates. The enterprise currently employs seven people at this early stage and provides integrated systems solutions for a wide range of process and general manufacturing industries in a number of technical areas. Included among the various products the company offers are Management Information Systems in the field of control systems, robotics, industrial automation and other software

The Ireland House concept consolidated Irish representative offices in overseas markets to ensure the most effective promotion of Ireland's foreign earnings interests in the market place. The first Ireland House was launched in 1993 and there is now consolidated representation of one or more state agencies and diplomatic offices in many cities including London, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Riyadh, Beijing, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Paris, Dusseldorf, Helsinki, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur. The latest Ireland House was opened in Madrid in October 1997, and it incorporates the Irish Embassy, An Bord Tráchtála (now Enterprise Ireland), Bord Fáilte, BIM and An Bord Bia.