The Irish economy might be on its knees, but here and there, there are some signs of hope. One of our brightest hopes is for the continued success of the microelectronics industry here.

Microelectronics is all about the tiny components we put into our beloved modern devices to make them work better, such as microchips for our laptops, SIM cards for our mobile phones, and ID chips on our laser cards.

Ireland is very good at doing this, and the industry here is made up of a mixture of global giants such as Intel, which, of course, make computer chips, to vibrant indigenous companies.

And, crucially, the sector is still creating jobs, hundreds of them, and will continue to do so over the next few years.

Listen: Interview with Mike Mulqueen, of the Microelelectronics Industry Design Association

This interview was broadcast on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 24.11.2011