Skibbereen has laid claim to the title of Ireland’s first 1GB town with those behind the digital Ludgate Hub declaring that the venture is a blueprint for the regeneration of rural Ireland.

A Cork girl’s illustration of what Ireland means to her will be seen by millions this Easter after Google selected the image following a nationwide search for a picture to head its homepage.

Google is bringing 1916 to life by offering a virtual tour of the key sites, streets and events of the Rising.

Thousands of technology enthusiasts will descend upon West Cork next month as part of the country’s first National Digital Week.

Irish entrepreneurs will have access to a global network of partners that should allow them scale at a faster rate after Dogpatch Labs became the first Irish member of Google’s Entrepreneurs Tech Hub Network.

Ireland’s reputation as a favoured location for multinationals’ sprawling data centres will be further cemented by the construction of Google’s new €150m data centre in west Dublin.

Google Ireland boss John Herlihy is to leave the company at the end of April.

THE Irish economy has failed to date to grasp the huge opportunities for growth offered by the internet.

More than 100 SMEs are attending an event for members of the Small Firms Association hosted by Google today at its European Headquarters in Dublin.

THE worst has passed in terms of the collapse in consumer spending but there is little prospect of a sharp rebound.

Google and the Irish Software Association (ISA) have set up a scheme to help small companies better exploit the potential of the internet in marketing their business.

The value of the internet in reducing marketing and distribution costs during the current economic slowdown is being realised by more companies than ever, according to Google’s Ronan Harris, director of online sales and operations.

Google have said that online purchases are still strong despite the current economic downturn.