The pace of multinational investment into Ireland accelerated in the first six months of 2026 despite ongoing global uncertainty, IDA Ireland said.
In its latest half-year report, the agency says it supported 190 investments in the six-month period, which it said had the potential to support 10,400 new jobs.
This was 6 per cent up on the 179 new investments recorded during the first six months of last year, illustrating, the agency said, Ireland’s ongoing success in attracting investment.
“This is a stellar result for Ireland” with so many countries “trying to eat our lunch when it comes to foreign direct investment”, IDA Ireland chairman, Feargal O’Rourke said.
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While it is important to stay vigilant and “be paranoid ... it is [also] important to step back and smell the roses a bit”, he said. “We’re continuing to win our unfair share of foreign direct investment.”
The latest IDA figures come against a backdrop of extreme global uncertainty, with war in the Gulf and US president Donald Trump threatening European countries with fresh tariffs.
The agency said the new investments included 54 first-time investors, 39 expansions by existing companies and 57 research, development and innovation (RD&I) projects.
The US continued to dominate the investments list, accounting for approximately 65 per cent.
Key announcements this year included Novo Nordisk’s €432 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Athlone; chipmaker Qualcomm’s €125 million investment to further develop its Cork site as a strategic AI pillar; and OpenText’s €105 million which will result in 400 additional jobs across its Irish sites.
The IDA said the renewed investment activity pointed to a strong concentration of next-generation technology projects with global companies choosing Ireland as a European growth platform, a base for regional headquarters activity, and a location to scale and support strategic EMEA operations.
“While we might see a challenge in terms of the policy environment, international business continues to move,” IDA chief executive, Michael Lohan said.
“We have seen that not just this year, in the first six months, but last year,” he said.
“We are very fortunate that we have an enterprise base of 1,800 FDI companies ... deriving and bringing value back not just into the Irish economy but into their global operations,” Lohan said, noting that this was a product of decades of stable government and policy.
Lohan conceded client companies were concerned about capacity constraints, including housing, in the Irish economy.
“We all understand there are carrying capacity challenges ... yes housing does come up but there’s also a recognition that there’s a plan in government and we’re seeing the fruits of those plans,” he said.
Lohan also insisted Ireland was not unique in facing these capacity constraints.
Innovation in AI (artificial intelligence) was a “feature of a large number of investments in H1, highlighting Ireland’s growing reputation in this area”, the IDA’s report noted.
These include ecommerce group, Klaviyo, which announced the opening of its engineering hub in Dublin; tech giant, Anthropic, which is creating 200 jobs as part of its Dublin expansion; and device company, Medtronic, which announced the establishment of a European software development hub in Galway.
“Ireland’s continued success in attracting world-class investment is built on a strong and stable enterprise platform, one built over decades and which we do not take for granted,” Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke said.
