Five reasons to choose an education in Ireland

When you are educated in Ireland, you get more than just a world-class education, more than just career opportunities that are the envy of other countries. You also get amazing, life-enhancing and life-changing experiences every day. These are experiences that will benefit you for the rest of your life, both personally and professionally.

1,

A safe environment

Ireland is a friendly and safe country:

Ireland is ranked as the fifth friendliest country in the world.

The Global Peace Index 2024 (The Global Peace Index) rated 163 countries around the world based on indicators such as conflict, social safety and security and militarization. Ireland was ranked as the second most peaceful place on earth, after Iceland. And it was ranked 17th in the World Happiness Index.

According to the OECD Education Report 2019, Ireland's young people have the fourth highest level of education in the world.

The Bloomberg Innovation Index 2020 ranks Ireland as the 16th most innovative country in the world.

Ireland is also home to five of Forbes' top 10 companies; Apple, Google, Alphabet, Amazon and Samsung.

The Irish like to welcome or "take care" of new guests. If you're staying with a host family, you'll be treated like a member of the family. If not, there will always be someone to say hello or offer a helping hand.

Higher education institutions in Ireland are absolutely committed to ensuring that visiting students are acclimatized to their new surroundings and have all the information they need to enjoy their stay. All higher education institutions have designated staff members that international students can turn to for any assistance they may need.

In short, it's a friendly, welcoming bunch, which is why international students benefit so much from the Irish experience.

2,

Native English Speaker

Although Ireland has its own language and unique cultural identity, English is the lingua franca, which is one of the reasons why many multinational companies have based their European bases here.

This also makes Ireland an excellent choice for international students. English is now the global language of business. According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, a growing number of multinationals, including Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailin, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Beijing-based Technicolor and Microsoft, are adopting English as their universal corporate language to facilitate cross geographies and business functions.

What's more, it's the language of choice for the tech community. An estimated 565 million people use English on the Internet.

Overall, Harvard Business Review estimates that there are nearly 385 million native English speakers in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia; about 1 billion fluent English speakers in countries such as India and Nigeria, and millions of people around the globe learning English as a second language. In fact, around 1.75 billion people worldwide are fluent in English.

Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, and Irish writers have had a seminal impact on English-language literature; Ireland has enriched the English language with thousands of words and phrases originating from the Irish language, and for a small country, Irish writers have won a plethora of literary awards.

3,

A tradition of educational excellence

Ireland's long-standing reputation for high quality education is built on a strong foundation of commitment to excellence. Today, Ireland has one of the best education systems in the world and an international reputation for academic quality.

There are 34 higher education institutions in Ireland offering a wide range of over 5,000 courses leading to internationally recognized, quality assured qualifications. International students can choose to meet their educational needs at highly regarded business schools, centers of scientific and technological excellence, and renowned language, humanities and arts colleges.

Wherever you go in Ireland, you will find a genuine and deep love of learning.

4,

A culture of innovation

Did you know that all of these life-changing inventions were invented by the Irish? The submarine, color photography, the modern tractor, the missile, the nickel-zinc battery, the portable defibrillator, the Gregg shorthand system, the modern stethoscope, the rubber shoe sole, soda pop, leprosy treatment, the airplane ejection seat and chocolate milk ......

In terms of artistic, literary and musical creativity, as well as scientific and technological ingenuity, Ireland is far above average internationally.

In business, the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon is one of the fathers of modern economics and monetary theory; Fyffes created the world's first and oldest fruit brand with its "Blue Label" bananas, and Irish-founded Ryanair is Europe's largest low-cost airline. Ryanair, founded by an Irishman, is Europe's largest low-cost airline, bringing the concept of low-cost flights to Europe.

Music, songwriting and dancing are in the Irish blood. Irish music has influenced country, bluegrass, folk, jazz and rock in North America, Europe, Australia and beyond; the Great River Dance has sparked a revival of Irish dancing around the world, and Ireland has won the Eurovision Song Contest more times than any other country.

Irish writers such as Samuel Beckett and James Joyce revolutionized English literature and influenced writers and artists from countries and cultures around the world.

Irishman Philip Treacy, milliner to the rich, the beautiful and the famous, is one of the world's leading hat makers, elevating hat design to a high fashion art form.

When it comes to technology, Ireland's achievements are numerous:

Kerry-based Altobridge's technology enabled AeroMobile to make history, launching the world's first commercial flying mobile service.

Irish company Daon provides biometric software to governments around the world, enabling them to create and confirm the unique identities of billions of people for border control and social security.

Dublin company Havok's technology has enabled some of the world's most recognized developers to achieve new standards of realism and interactivity in games from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

5,

Ireland's leading international companies

Ireland is the European hub for over 1,000 leading multinational companies. Companies that need a skilled, educated and competent workforce to drive their success choose to locate in Ireland.

Over 1,000 FDI giants in ICT, social media, pharmaceuticals and finance have made Ireland the hub of their European operations, including Google, HP, Apple, IBM, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pfizer, GSK and Genzyme.

Ireland continues to attract significant foreign direct investment (FDI), in fact it is the second most attractive country in the world for FDI - after Singapore.

In addition to a strong foreign-owned multinational sector, Ireland has a vibrant indigenous industry. Companies competing on the world stage include CRH, Smurfit Kappa, DCC, Glen Dimplex, Greencore, Kingspan, NTR and Paddy Power.