Silicon Bog is feeling the effects of Ireland’s slowdown. The high-tech hub in county Kildare, west of Dublin, was one of the main drivers of the country’s economic success.

Martin Murphy, who heads Irish operations at Hewlett-Packard, the US technology company, says the downturn was already apparent nine months ago. He says sales of IT products in Ireland increased by 6 per cent last year, but this year “the market will probably be flat and we’re seeing some sectors in decline”. HP employs 2,200 people at its ink-jet factory in Leixlip.