Just three IDA visits to North Tipp

A local TD has said he will write to the IDA and may seek to have the agency appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise over its “disappointing” record in North Tipperary.

Alan Kelly said the foreign direct investment agency has “straight questions” to answer after it was revealed last week that just three of the 55 IDA-facilitated site visits to the Mid-West in 2025 were in North Tipp. Limerick had the highest number in the region with 33 visits, followed by Clare with 19.

A further nine visits were made to Limerick in the first quarter of this year, with six in Clare and two in Tipperary.

The IDA has routinely come in for criticism locally following years of low visitor and jobs creation numbers. Deputy Kelly said the agency has to be taken task over the lack of attention to this part of the region. “The figures are quite startling,” he commented.

“North Tipperary is not getting its fair share of visits. It’s one thing to say that we’re not getting companies, but when you’re not getting visits, you can’t get companies.” The Nenagh-based TD questioned why this is happening given North Tipp’s central location, infrastructure, access to resources, workforce, and educational facilities. “It’s really disappointing to see that basically a tiny percentage of actual visits last year, and again this year so far, have been to North Tipperary compared to Limerick and Clare.”

EMPLOYMENT UP 18%

Employment in IDA Ireland client companies across the Mid-West has increased by 18% over the past five years, according to last week’s figures, which were provided to Clare TD Joe Cooney.

He welcomed that there are now 28,125 people directly employed by 158 IDA client companies across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.

But Deputy Kelly said the figures make disappointing reading for people in this part of the Mid-West, who are looking for “equal treatment and fair play”. His own strong record on jobs creation includes bringing financial technology firm Fiserv (formerly First Data) to Nenagh, and the Labour TD said he knows what it takes to pursue foreign direct investment.

“You need to have political pressure,” he said. “I certainly always put pressure on and when I was a minister, it delivered with one of the largest fintech companies in the world into Nenagh. We had other successes as well.

“But I also think that, outside of that, you need to ensure that there is a positive positioning of our towns. The IDA, when they show various potential companies into Limerick and Ennis, they’re looking at clustering of various different industry types.”

‘OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING’

Deputy Kelly said there appeared to be a “default position” in the Mid-West, which is centred on Limerick. He suggested that it is time to widen the scope.

“I think we need to broaden our outlook in terms of Ireland Inc and how we can diversify into various different industries, not just pharmaceutical and IT, but maybe drop in more into other industries like fintech. I’d love to see a plan by the IDA to maybe cluster more companies around Fiserv,” the local TD said of the company’s Nenagh base.

“It would be great to see a clustering of other companies so that there could be knowledge sharing and building of a knowledge base around fintech in the area. That would be fantastic. A bit of outside the box thinking is what is necessary.”

The Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment said the availability of suitable property and strategic sites remained critical to attracting new investment. The IDA site visits were only one measure of investor interest and did not necessarily translate into an investment. The figures represent individual visits and, therefore, may not be indicative of the number of companies that visited.

‘PLEASE COME AND VISIT’

But Deputy Kelly pointed out that North Tipperary has suitable industrial sites at the likes of Lisbunny in Nenagh and Benamore in Roscrea. He said questions remain over why potential investors visiting Limerick and Clare were not also brought to North Tipperary.

“The biggest message is very simple,” he said. “We have the sites - IDA, please come and visit our sites when you’re over the road showing executives from across the world the sites in Limerick and Clare. Why aren’t you coming to Templemore, Roscrea, Nenagh and Thurles? That’s the real question.

“It can’t be for lack of sites; it can’t be for lack of willingness on behalf of the local authority. Obviously, at a political level we’ll do everything we can to support. It just needs the will to be a bit more expansive, a bit more ambitious.”

Deputy Kelly said the IDA should explain if there is something further that needs to be done in order to attract inward investment to his home county.

“I’m sure the local authority officials would gladly take that feedback and, if we have to deliver infrastructure or sites, then we’ll work on that.”