8 May 2025
Introducing the Ireland Canada Business Association Podcast Series for Canadian companies on Navigating the Irish Market
‘Navigating the Irish Market’ is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.
The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.
Navigating the Irish Market – Employment & HR Landscape
Alison Hodgson is Partner for Transformation, HR and Change Practice at RSM Ireland. In this episode Alison talks about the employment and HR landscape in Ireland and what Canadian companies need to know about employment law, the importance of those first hires and the types of employee benefits that will make them attractive to an Irish workforce in a very competitive employment market. We also discuss very important factors around communication styles in Ireland and what works best when giving feedback and trying to build rapport.
Navigating the Irish Market – Ireland’s Tax System
Cormac Kelleher is a Partner in the leading accounting, tax and advisory firm Forvis Mazars Ireland. In this episode Cormac talks about the tax environment in Ireland and what multinational companies need to know about the Irish tax system in order to set up correctly from the very start. We also talk about some of the aspects of tax that companies often overlook and why it is so important to address them early on, and the business culture in Ireland and how to succeed within it.
Navigating the Irish Market – Business Supports Available to Canadian Companies
Deirdre Moran is SVP Technology & Country Manager – Canada at IDA Ireland and Hugh McGrath is Head of Corporate Services, Ireland, at investor services group IQ-EQ. In conversation with host Patrick Haughey, Deirdre and Hugh talk about Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for multinational companies, the many supports that are available to companies who choose Ireland as their European base, and what you need to know about the geography of Ireland and the regions that might suit your sector best.
Navigating the Irish Market – Ireland’s Legal System
Kieran Trant is a Partner in the corporate department of Matheson – one of Ireland’s largest law firms. Kieran works with international companies on the establishment, expansion and operation of their businesses in Ireland and we talk about what the Irish legal system is like and how, as a common law system, it shares a lot of similarities with the Canadian legal system. But we also discuss the key differences and what companies need to know about those.
We also learn about the ease of doing business in Ireland and why the pro-business environment has proven so popular with companies looking to internationalise.
Navigating the Irish Market – Ireland’s Banking Environment
Kevin Elliott is EVP and Head of Global Foreign Direct Investment at Bank of Ireland. Kevin works with international companies to establish and scale their operations in Ireland. In this episode we learn about the banking environment in Ireland, how it compares to other EU countries, some of the common pitfalls to avoid, and advice for building relationships and networks in Ireland.
More information on setting up in Ireland and the key banking considerations.