Northern Ireland is rapidly establishing itself as a burgeoning tech hub, with various international powerhouses setting up shop in the country. The likes of Applied Systems, SAP, and Rapid7 all have offices in Northern Ireland, while there are plenty of homegrown companies like Kainos Group and Allstate Northern Ireland that are pushing tech innovation forward.
With the tech industry thriving, it’s opening up a wealth of opportunities for people seeking careers in the digital economy. Those from Armagh may be able to bring the city’s rich history of storytelling to the tech market to inspire inventive new content design.
Northern Ireland Tech Scene on the Ascent
There are some impressive figures behind the rise of the tech industry in Northern Ireland in recent years. In 2023, investment into Northern Irish tech firms broke a new record, with more than £143.2 million pumped into the industry in the country. There has been a lot of focus on making the country a supportive place for tech businesses, with a lot of supportive infrastructure and a strong skills base in place.
There’s also a lot of evidence that the tech companies around these parts are forward-thinking, meaning that they have a great chance of success in the future. 88 per cent of tech businesses in Northern Ireland are already using AI in some form, and there’s going to be an even bigger focus on this in the years ahead. Northern Ireland’s tech industry has a diverse range of companies in all fields, from gaming to fintech, meaning that there are plenty of job opportunities available. For people based in Armagh, there may be some way to combine the city’s folklore with modern tech trends.
Blending Tech with a Rich Storytelling Tradition
Armagh is famous for being one of the most prominent places in Northern Ireland for folklore, with a rich history of storytelling in the city. There are various myths and legends that originated from here, such as the stories associated with the warrior king Conor Mac Nessa and the Ulster Cycle tales linked to Navan Fort.
It would be interesting to blend some of the history and mythology from the region with modern tech in new forms of entertainment. For example, in the gaming market, there are various titles that lean into Irish folklore. Some of the top slot games UK, like Roving Clover and Luck O’ The Irish Strike use symbols such as shamrocks and rainbows. Titles based on Armagh history wouldn’t look out of place among games like these.
It could also be exciting to see what storytellers from the region come up with when working alongside VR companies. Using the futuristic technology, there’s a chance that they could bring some of the iconic tales of the city to life in new ways. Perhaps, VR users could even get a sense that they’d travelled back in time to the eras in which the stories took place.
Despite a lot of the tech developments in Northern Ireland being akin to ideas from futuristic science fiction films, there are plenty of ways to connect to the past. Forward-thinking creatives from Armagh should look into ways to break into the tech industry and keep our stories alive.
