Civic Reception acknowledges 45 years of Apple Operations in Cork
20/02/2026
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy hosted a special Civic Reception at Cork City Hall to celebrate 45 years of Apple operations in Cork.
The event, organised by Cork City Council, followed the official opening of Apple’s latest expansion at its European headquarters in Hollyhill. It brought together international senior management from Apple, Oireachtas members, former and current Apple employees, civic leaders and members of Cork’s business community to acknowledge the huge contribution the company has bought to Cork City and County over the last five decades.
Speaking at the reception, the Lord Mayor paid tribute to all those who have contributed to Apple establishing itself as a cornerstone of innovation and growth in Cork, acknowledging its major role in Cork’s growth in the same period.
He said: "The past 45 years have shown what can be achieved when an ambitious city works together with and an innovative global company, its visionary leaders and its dedicated staff.
“The company’s growth here to become the city’s largest private employer mirrors Cork city’s own journey from a regional centre to what will be Ireland’s fastest growing city-region over the next two decades.”
“Cork is proud of this partnership, proud of Apple’s achievements, and we are all excited for what comes next.”
Now employing approximately 6,000 people across Ireland, Apple’s operations in Cork began in 1980 with just 60 employees. The majority of these 6,000 employees are now located at its European Headquarters in Hollyhill. The company has established itself as Cork city’s largest private employer. The contribution of Apple is not just felt through its direct employment but additionally through the innumerable indirectly supported jobs and businesses city and countywide, all contributing to the prosperity of the region.
In recent years, Apple have established teams in Cork to focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, established a new multimillion euro engineering and test facility for European products and continue to expand through further growth evidenced by its latest extension and new building, Hollyhill 5.