Ireland - a great business gateway for Singapore businesses

THINK of Ireland and Guinness Stout, Kilkenny beers, rock band U2 and Riverdance come to mind. But there is more to the Emerald Isle (as Ireland is popularly known), especially in terms of Singapore-Ireland business and trade.

Between the 1960s and 1990s, Singapore stood out as one of the Asian Tiger economies because of its rapid industrialisation and economic development. From the 1980s, Ireland similarly embarked on a phase of major economic and industrial development that earned it the tag of Celtic Tiger economy.

Foreign direct investment is a key contributor to Ireland's economic development and growth, and Ireland is regularly ranked as one of the best places in the world to do business. Just as Singapore is a gateway to Asean, so can Ireland be a launch pad for Singapore companies into Europe, as it is a member of the European Union which comprises some 400 million wealthy consumers.