The Irish Times

The Guinness Hopstore and surrounding buildings on the company's 60-acre St James's Gate brewery site have been bought by the Government for £15 million. The area will be home to a multi-media village - called the Digital Hub - which will include the campus of Media Lab Europe, the joint venture between the Government and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The decision to base the high-profile project in the south inner city could spark a local property boom as the Government will acquire further property in the Liberties, Coombe and Thomas Street areas as they become a focus for Internet and information technology companies. The deal will also fuel speculation that Guinness plans to pull out of Dublin after 240 years.