Stars in their eyes over at IDA Ireland

IDA Ireland is sometimes stereotyped by outsiders as just another stuffy, stodgy bastion of slow-moving State bureaucracy.

Some of the stardust from its cool web clients like Facebook, Twitter and Google must be rubbing off on the agency, however.

And following on from the agency’s Twitter dalliance with the parachute-pants rapper MC Hammer back in February, the IDA this month made its debut on small screen in the US, albeit in a cameo role .

Silicon Valley is the latest HBO drama series prompting water-cooler conversations across America.

It revolves around six geeks trying to make it as billionaires in the cut-throat US technology heartland. Quite the zeitgeist catcher.

In the words of one of the show’s characters: “For thousands of years, guys like us have gotten the shit kicked out of us. But now...we can be in charge and build empires.”

And hipsters wonder why people hate them....

In last week’s episode the geeks attended a tech conference where, plastered all over the backdrop to one of the scenes, there appeared a long, lingering shot of an IDA stand.

It went down well back at HQ in Dublin. High fives all round.

The IDA is also opening a new office in Austin, Texas, America's latest trendy tech hub.

The base will be co-located with a new Irish consulate for the region, and officials are currently scouting for offices. It is being funded under the government’s Winning Abroad plan, which provided extra resources to the agency as part of a plan to create 10,000 new jobs over the next five years.

I also hear the interviews took place last week for the new chief executive of the foreign investment agency to replace outgoing boss Barry O’Leary, who leaves the IDA this summer. Shortlisting is imminent.

No fogies, please.