Software Association hails Riverdeep role

E-learning company Riverdeep was named Company of the Year by the Irish Software Association at its annual awards ceremony in Dublin on Friday night.

Mr Pat McDonagh, from north Dublin, founded Riverdeep in 1995 and over the past six years it has grown into the largest Internet trainer for schoolchildren in the US.

He sold 15 per cent of the company on the US Nasdaq market in June, earning him £107 million.

The Tánaiste, Ms Mary Harney, sounded upbeat when presenting the awards, expressing her optimism that in spite of the downturn the "long-term future of the ICT [information communications technology], both internationally and in Ireland, remains optimistic".

"I have no doubt that the ICT industry will remain a dynamic player in the world economy, and that it will continue to play a major role in the Irish economy in the future," she said.

Openet Telecom won the "Young Company of the Year" award. The "Technical Innovation Award" went to Headway Software, and NewWorld Commerce won the "Marketing Innovation Award".

The awards are open to all Irish-based software companies and to non-members of the ISA.

Last year troubled Irish Internet security firm Baltimore Technologies collected the company of the year gong, and the young company award went to Performix Technologies.

The innovation award in 2000 was shared between Changing Worlds for technological innovation and Norkom for business innovation.