Well, that's probably because companies make so much "intellectual property" in Ireland, which they then have to pay licensing fees to their Irish subsidiaries

Well, that's probably because companies make so much "intellectual property" in Ireland, which they then have to pay licensing fees to their Irish subsidiaries to use. I am being a little sarcastic. This is a description of a standard tax-avoidance scheme. My point, ultimately, is that I suspect Ireland's numbers are inflated by its status as a tax haven for multinationals.