The Tech Capital on the Cliffs

There is the Dublin that is Temple Bar with its traditional pubs and the city's music scene, and then there is the Dublin of the tech bubbles: the emerging neighborhood, east of Trinity College, that has been built up around the Grand Canal Dock. This is commonly called Silicon Dock, and is the area where the European headquarters of leading companies in the tech industry, including Google, Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter, are located. Attracted by an appealing system of tax incentives, digital business are themselves attractive to a large number of young talents from all over the world, and this is where these so-called bubbles have sprung up. These ecosystems made up of tech company employees offer everything an individual could need: social interactions and daily habits are often influenced by these bubbles, especially because of salaries that are much higher than the city average, which generate price inflations for rents and groceries.

On the other hand, the parallel economy of these microcosms has had a positive impact during the most difficult times in Ireland's contemporary history, especially during the recession. From Monday through Friday, activity is almost exclusively influenced by the tech bubbles, but on the weekends, brunch on Saturday or Sunday with scrumptious eggs benedict is a must. Instead of drinks and dinners with friends, local Dubliners prefer daytime socializing at hipster places in the city or hiking in the Irish countryside.

South of the capital, only about a half-hour away, you run into Wicklow Mountain, a very beautiful national park where you can spend your days relaxing and hiking in the peace and quiet of the place. North of Dublin, after a short train ride, you arrive at Howth and its amazing cliffs, which shape the profile of the country. Here you are in a fishing village where you can taste one of the many kinds of fresh fish served in the authentic but simple local restaurants. Ireland's most exciting cliffs, however, are in Galway, on the west coast: in this silent place, which seems like the end of the world, the cliffs fall steeply into the sea, creating a truly epic landscape.

Edited by Allegra Gallizia

LEONARDO FRAU
A 2014 Bocconi graduate in Marketing Management, Leonardo Frau works in Google's Dublin offices as Global Product Specialist for Google AdWords, the online advertising service that allows ads to be included in Google search pages. Specifically, Leonardo Frau assists the multinationals that use Google AdWords in re-marketing their products, to target them towards internet users and markets.