Manchester is becoming a first port of call for Irish firms expanding into Britain. A major trade mission led by Enterprise Ireland brought 30 high-growth Irish companies — spanning construction, engineering, digital technology, manufacturing and the creative industries — to the city, and the visit translated quickly into commitments on the ground.
According to Insider Media and Invest Manchester, the animation studio Kavaleer is opening its first ever overseas office in Manchester, creating 20 jobs, while recruitment provider Osborne is opening its first UK office in the city with plans to support ten new roles this year. They join a widening base of Irish businesses choosing Manchester as their UK beachhead.
A trend, not a one-off
The mission was backed by hard sentiment data. An Enterprise Ireland survey found that 38% of Irish companies plan to significantly increase investment in the North of England, and one in five intend to hire there during 2026. That is the kind of forward signal that turns a few headline relocations into a sustained pipeline.
The logic is straightforward. For Irish firms, Manchester offers a large English-speaking market, deep talent pools in tech and the creative industries, lower costs than London and strong cultural and transport links back to Dublin. Post-Brexit, a physical UK presence has also become more valuable for serving British clients — and Manchester increasingly wins that decision over the capital.
Why it matters
Foreign direct investment of this kind does more than add jobs; it thickens Manchester’s industrial clusters, bringing specialist skills in animation, engineering and digital that compound over time. For the North’s wider ambition to be a genuine second engine of the UK economy, becoming the default landing pad for international firms — not just domestic ones — is exactly the kind of momentum that matters.
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