The closure of GSI is another sign of the downturn in the US technology industry, but it is not symptomatic of any deterioration in the competitiveness of Ireland's economy, the Tanaiste said.
Ms Harney announced the establishment of a task force to secure alternative employment for Macroom. She also promised to interrupt her holiday and travel to the Cork town on Monday.
"The least I can do in the circumstances is to meet with the employees of the company . . . to underline my absolute commitment, and that of the IDA, to finding a new employer for Macroom," she said.
She was confident the prime facility and a committed workforce was a strong attraction for potential investors.
The employers' group IBEC called the closure a "local disaster" but echoed the Tanaiste's comments. Mr Brendan Butler, director of IBEC's ICT division, said unless the sector "repositioned" itself, there would be further casualties.
Fine Gael claimed the Tanaiste ignored US warning signs and said urgent meetings with multinationals were needed. The party's spokesman for enterprise, trade and employment, Mr Charles Flanagan, said every Friday was becoming "a black Friday" as far as jobs in the IT sector were concerned.
A local Labour councillor said the effects of closure would reverberate for a long time. Mr Martin Coughlan of Macroom UDC said GSI was the largest employer in north-west Cork, and the implications were enormous. He added: "It is absolutely essential that every effort is made to find an alternative industry for the plant."
