A 3-minute video produce by Failte Ireland TV has clocked up over half a million YouTube views in 3 days. #IrelandInspires lists almost everything that is wonderful about this little country, perched on the edge of Europe.

Ironically, the very powerful trait that helped create #IrelandInspires isn’t mentioned at all! We are world class storytellers. The ability to tell a good story well is embedded in our genes. We are surrounded by tales of magic and mystery from the moment we’re born. Valuable life lessons are imparted by parents and teachers through the medium of story.

In our 21st century Attention Deficit Society, the ability to capture and hold the attention of any audience is critical. People want good, solid, engaging information. There is no time to waste with waffle. With 27,000,000 pieces of content shared daily (according to AOL & Neilson 2012) and 78% of CMOs believing that custom content is the future of marketing (Harvey Wood 2013) our gift for story telling is invaluable.

I believe that Ireland can be rightfully marketed as the Land of “Talent and Talkers!” because Interpersonal intelligence comes naturally to us. Interpersonal Intelligence relates to how we connect with others. It is the ability to walk in other people’s shoes, to make them feel very welcome in your presence. Interpersonal Intelligence is s one of the most valued and sought after intelligences in the world and the Irish have it in abundance.

We are curious about people – where they come from, what makes them happy. We genuinely want to hear their stories and share our own.

Our ‘Cead Mile Failte (a hundred thousand welcomes) is heartfelt and sincere. Because of this, Ireland is not only a great tourist destination but it is also a hub for people-centred facilities such as Customer Service centres and schools for teaching English as a foreign language.

The natural friendliness of the Irish allows us to be excellent brand ambassadors, developing real friendships, not just customer relationships, with clients. So, as well as being smart, educated, resilient, innovative, hard-working and creative, Irish people have the ability to take the world on an inspiring journey through the power of storytelling.