The Emerald Isle might be best known for leprechauns, Guinness and St. Patrick’s Day, but Ireland’s franchising industry is as strong as ever.

Ireland’s franchising industry has grown, despite economic problems, every year since 2006. A recent survey found that 40 percent of the population wanted to be self-employed. The Irish franchise industry currently has 4,086 franchise units in operation which equates to 42,927 full-time franchising jobs.

The types of franchises that populate Ireland, a country roughly the size of Indiana, are mostly in the service sector, most of them being in the food and drink industry. One-third of the franchises operated in Ireland are retail franchises.

Franchise concepts conceived and founded in Ireland are rare as most are franchises for sale from the United Kingdom or the United States. Franchise opportunities from Australia, other parts of Europe and Asia have become increasingly popular.

The average initial franchise fee for a franchise in Ireland is $37,154. As franchising becomes an increasingly significant pathway to self-employment and personal success worldwide, so it does in Ireland. Many franchisors wishing to expand outside the U.S. often do so in the U.K. and in Ireland as English is the shared common language.