The Irish Software Association (ISA) celebrated its 30th Anniversary last night at its glitzy annual awards ceremony sponsored by Enterprise Ireland and William Fry. The association honoured the most successful Irish software companies of the last year at the ceremony attended by over 400 people.

The winners of each category were:

Company of the Year: Changing Worlds
New Company of the Year: Muzu TV
Sales Achievement: Singularity
Technical Innovation: Openet
Collaboration: Qumas

Software Skillnet also presented a student medal to Conor Gaffney of Trinity College, Dublin for the most commercially viable piece of research

Director of the ISA, Shane Dempsey said;

“The companies celebrated tonight demonstrates the ability of Irish companies to achieve global success. Indigenous software companies will increasingly play a greater role in creating value for the Irish economy. Over the last thirty years, the ISA has facilitated software companies in achieving their global ambitions. We now believe that the serial entrepreneurs, those people who have built a number of businesses, are the key to real economic growth in the sector. In the coming year we will be working closely to harness their experience to grow companies of international scale”

Myra Garrett, Managing Partner of William Fry, sponsors of the Awards said of the sector:

“William Fry is actively involved in and committed to Ireland's IT sector and we are delighted to be involved in the ISA awards again this year. Each year the calibre and quality of entrants is excellent, demonstrating our positioning as Europe’s premier location for software development. Ireland has developed a thriving indigenous software development industry and I have no doubt that this will continue in spite of the economic downturn.”

The ISA also honoured Peter MacManamon with the prestigious Software Person of the Year Award. Peter has been a champion for software SMEs lobbying extensively for the removal of restrictive procurement practices in the public sector, increases in the Business Expansion and Seed Capital schemes and changes to the education system to address the uptake of honours maths.

Students Adam Keilthy, Conor Scully, from Sutton Park Secondary school were celebrated for their research project that makes websites colour-blind accessible. The students have won the technology category in the Irish BT Young Scientist Competition and first in the overall Northern Irish BT Young Scientist competition. The boys will now go on to the overall UK BT YS competition.

The 18 Chairmen who ran the ISA over the last 30 years were also honoured at the ceremony.

 

Care Works win 2 tickets to the ISA Software Industry Awards

Earlier this year the ISA conducted a member survey of all our member companies to help us understand the salient needs of the software sector according to you, our members and also to find out that bit more about your organisation as we set our our strategy for 2009. As an incentive to participate in the survey we offered the chance to win two free tickets to the ISA Software Industry Awards 2008.

We are delighted to announce that Care Works was selected as the winner of this prize. Congratulations to all the team at Care Works from the ISA.

 

 

The short list for the 2008 Software Industry Awards has been announced.

Company of the Year

Altobridge

Changing Worlds

Globoforce

Helix Health

Openet

Rockall Technologies

Singularity

Thirdforce

Zenith

New Company of the Year

Albatat

Contrast

Louder Voice

Muzu

Sentry

Sales Achievement Award

Changing Worlds

Globoforce

Helix Health

Percana

Rockall Technologies

Singularity

Technical Innovation

Albatat

Dotmobi

E-spatial

IBM

Mapflow

Openet

Realex Payments

Collaboration Award

Globoforce

Helix Health

IBM

Qumas

Student Medal

Conor Gaffney: TCD

Praveen kumar Madire: DCU

Micheal O Flynn: UCC

 

 1978.....................

In the year that Kinsale gas becomes commercially available, the search for oil continues off Ireland's coastline. £100m is spent on offshore exploration in 1978.

America brokers a peace deal between Israel and Egypt. Although the accord raises hopes of a wider settlement across the Middle East, Lebanon remains a major flashpoint in the conflict.

Citizens clash with Corporation over plans to build offices on the site of Dublin's original Viking settlement at Wood Quay. Thousands of people join a 'Friends Of Medieval Dublin' march. They demand that Wood Quay be preserved as an archaeological site. The authorities ignore the protestors and press ahead with the building. Viking Dublin disappears forever.

ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL
Dublin v Kerry. Eoin Liston gets a hat-trick as Kerry win by 5-11 to 0-9. In the hurling, Cork beat Kilkenny 1-15 to 2-8. It is Cork's third All-Ireland title in a row.

CARNSORE POINT Co. Wexford.
As the government advances plans to build an atomic power station, Ireland prepares to join Europe's 'nuclear family'. Supporters of nuclear power say it is a long-term alternative to oil.

...................and the Irish Sofware Association was established as the voice of the emerging software and technology sector. 30 years on, the Association has more than 150 member companies across the entire spectrum of the software product and services sector ranging from indigenous to foreign owned, from SME to MNC. 

 

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