Sarah Mooney
The chief content editor of Forbes magazine has promised to visit Limerick and host a “30 under 30” event there, in the wake of an article that referred to the area as “stab city” and the “murder capital” of Europe.
The highly-criticised article was later removed after the magazine said it failed to meet its publication standards.
Mayor of Limerick, Michael Collins, wrote to Forbes editor Randall Lane to express his concern over the article, and said he received a response on Thursday.
In his response, Mr Lane committed to visiting Limerick and hosting a Forbes “30 under 30” gathering to celebrate the young entrepreneurs of the area.
Mr Lane said the event would be covered across Forbes’ global platforms, which reach a monthly audience of around 200 million.
“So a very positive outcome from what was I suppose a very negative and disastrous publication a week today,” Mayor Collins told Newstalk radio.
.@Forbes editor commits to visiting Limerick personally and hosting flagship 30 Under 30 event in the city #LimerickAndProud #LimerickEdgeEmbrace
Read the full story here: https://t.co/nJnpg1eABz pic.twitter.com/eRpqLirKw4
— Limerick.ie (@Limerick_ie) April 16, 2021
“I wrote to Randall Lane on Monday and we got a very positive response yesterday from his office saying that he’d like to travel to Limerick when Covid restrictions allow.”
The Mayor said the Forbes editor's response was a “creative solution” that would allow a global audience to “see the talent that Limerick has incubated” in a city where more than half of the population is under the age of 35.
“I think Forbes will be spoilt for choice with some of the brightest minds and talent that is emerging here. And I look forward to the story of Limerick’s young, creative and bold minds being showcased to the world at a time when it’s safe to do so,” he added.
The controversial article published by Forbes Magazine last Friday branded Limerick a “warzone” as it detailed the “escape” of Limerick brothers Patrick and John Collison to Silicon Valley, with the success of their financial services and software company Stripe.
The hashtag #LimerickAndProud trended on social media in Ireland in the wake of the article titled “How Two Brothers Escaped 'Stab City' and Made $11 Billion.”
The Collison brothers hit back at the article, describing it as “daft” and “mistaken”.
