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Ireland's top company is...

The Irish Times top 1000 companies is out, and here’s what it says.

THE TOP COMPANY in Ireland remains building material giant CRH.

The Irish company saw off competition from international heavyweights Google and Microsoft, with the search giant pipping its compatriot to second place as the two reversed positions.

Google’s position was helped this year by enormous revenue growth, which climbed by 25 per cent to €15.5 billion.

While turnover grew, profits did not have as positive a year, with Microsoft losing top spot spot to the Central Bank, which posted €1.5 billion in 2013.

Domestic growth

The Irish companies on The Irish Times Top 1000 Survey have had a broadly positive year, with sixty-two per cent of them growing turnover in their most recent financial year.

60 per cent of Irish SMEs also said that turnover increased.

The retail sector is enjoying “green shoots” despite several years in the doldrums, according to the survey, with 54 per cent of companies in this sector growing their sales in this survey.

Women on board

In a new addition to the results, The Irish Times survey found that women are still poorly represented at the helm of Ireland’s top companies.

Only 11 per cent of the organisations surveyed had a woman in a senior position such as chief executive, managing director or country director. However, a quarter of executive management positions are held by women, with the pharmaceutical/health sector scoring the best for gender diversity.

The top ten companies are:

  1. CRH
  2. Google
  3. Microsoft
  4. DCC
  5. Dell Ireland
  6. Smurfit Kappa
  7. Oracle
  8. Pfizer Global Supply
  9. Apple
  10. Paddy Power

Google boss defends Ireland’s corporate tax rate>

Good news: Companies in Ireland feel like hiring again>

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26 Comments
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    Mute Joseph O'Regan
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    May 16th 2014, 2:34 PM

    Profit,Profit and even more profit and on the other side……..Austerity, withdrawal of services,”restructuring” water tax etc. Anybody else see that Laissez-faire does not work for anybody except for the multinationals. The filter down policies are a fantasy, wealth and money is traveling only in one direction!

    101
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    Mute Mr Fantastic
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    May 16th 2014, 3:00 PM

    Maybe if people were more concerned with making profit than sitting on the dole we wouldn’t have so many people whining about austerity.

    141
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    Mute Joseph O'Regan
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    May 16th 2014, 3:13 PM

    Austerity is hitting everybody especially those who are honest taxpayers who are hit even harder than those who are unfortunate enough to have to depend on the state for survival.

    75
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    Mute Sean South
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    May 16th 2014, 5:23 PM

    Get off the dole and do a bit of work then Fantastic!

    26
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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    May 16th 2014, 8:54 PM

    So whats your answer to the problem you describe,god forbid we should inovate and build up our own multinational companies instead of relying on tax breaks to entice other countries talent to create jobs and employment here,but that would take dedication hard work and a belief in our own ability, are we up for it,highly unlikely judging by the rush for exits when the going gets tough.

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    Mute George Grey
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    May 16th 2014, 2:41 PM

    I can read this article and appreciate it for all that it is, but President Higgins’ address last week in Chicago in which he stated that ” society needs to measure prosperity” by differing methods strikes more resonance with me.

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    Mute HoganusRex
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    May 16th 2014, 4:13 PM

    What’s that thing they have in Bhutan (I think?) they have a “happiness index” or some such?

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    Mute Were Jammin
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    May 16th 2014, 2:55 PM

    Budget cuts for 2013 : 4 Billion Euro

    Cost to the exchequer of 12.5% corporation tax NOT being enforced: 4 Billion Euro

    Do the math.

    It would be interesting to see what % corporation tax each of the 10 paid on their profits.

    Ireland inc. the best little country in the world to do business. Slave labour aplenty and taxes are only for the little people. We’ll send any amount of people to the poorhouse to protect your profits. Rob us blind, but don’t forget your TV licence or your billionaire ass is going to jail.

    67
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    Mute William O'Shea
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    May 16th 2014, 3:12 PM

    Hear hear……… tell it straight Jammin

    13
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    Mute Pierce2020
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    May 16th 2014, 3:20 PM

    Why not make it 25% and make a few quid

    4
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    Mute andrew
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    May 16th 2014, 2:36 PM

    The majority of top companies are….not Irish. Neo liberal agenda in full swing. Ireland like a third world country being drained by multinationals.

    So much for entrepreneur culture here. A complete myth

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    Mute David Keogh
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    May 16th 2014, 3:20 PM

    Those “not Irish” companies employee a hell of allot of full blooded Irish people, who spend their hard earned money on Irish food and products, putting meals on Irish plates and clothes on Irish peoples backs, whilst also keeping people off the Irish doll queues!

    To build an entrepreneur culture, you need to have allot of entrepreneurs, all with great ideas which can be developed into something enormous, otherwise it wont make even a dent in the Irish economy.

    Comparing Ireland to a third world country is ridiculously idiotic, to put it mildly!

    95
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    Mute andrew
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    May 16th 2014, 3:30 PM

    You mean businesses employ and pay people? We know that. A bit of an idiotic comment if you don’t mind me saying. Maybe you might like to take a look at the real issues here?

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    Mute Jarrion
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    May 16th 2014, 2:46 PM

    How are Ryanair not included?

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    Mute Niamh May
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    May 16th 2014, 3:57 PM

    Or Intel?

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    Mute Larry Smierciak
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    May 16th 2014, 4:49 PM

    Because they don’t really employ anyone in Ireland. Very few staff, all the rest are “contractors” employed by outside agencies. Really, as a company Ryan Air contribute very little to the Irish economy.

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    Mute Rossa Crowe
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    May 19th 2014, 1:00 PM

    I assume you are joking @Larry. how many tens of millions of people do Ryanair bring here every year. Im sure their Vat bill alone is huge.

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    Mute Lily Signoret
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    May 16th 2014, 5:38 PM

    How does CRH manage to stay at the top? Their IT department is a joke. My bf worked there for a year, worst job he ever had (same for a friend who worked in their accounting dept).

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    Mute Alex C
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    May 16th 2014, 8:29 PM

    They make loads of money, thats why they’re there.

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    Mute Shite sticks
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    May 16th 2014, 7:37 PM

    Dell is in the top 10? An awful kip of a place to work. Soul destroying, global multinational, bureaucratic hell hole

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    Mute Loop De Loop
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    May 17th 2014, 1:00 AM

    What about Ryanair ? They would have got my vote and they are Irish too !

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    Mute Mark Miller
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    May 16th 2014, 3:11 PM

    Got a shock when I read this story. First thing I saw was the add banner for labour and I thought to myself
    “Jaysus Gilmore must be a great fella to work for”

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    Mute Susan Quinn
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    May 16th 2014, 3:18 PM

    Didn’t see Irish startup EnergyElephant on the list there…

    It’s gearing up competition against Nest which was recently acquired by Google for $3.2 Billion.

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