The number of people Google employs in Ireland should soon grow by 200.  Google’s announced that it intends to establish a new operations center in the country, and the company’s wasting no time in getting it up and running.

According to Ciara O’Brien, the center should become functional before the end of this year, and workers there will focus on location-based products like Google Local and Google Maps.  The center could spearhead a challenge to Facebook Places, then, as Google pieces together some sort of social network.

The center could help Google achieve dominance in the mobile market, too.  David Martin, director of the company’s geo operations in Europe, said, "With the increasing proliferation of smart phones and Google’s Android platform for mobiles, more and more people are using local and mapping products on a daily basis.  We want to ensure they have a great experience and that the information we give them is accurate, useful and up to date."

Regardless, this move emphasizes Ireland’s importance to Google.  Google had already gotten around 1,500 people to staff its EMEA headquarters in the country, and it looks like tax incentives, the technical infrastructure, and the pool of potential employees there remain quite attractive to the company.

The new center is supposed to be located in the East Point Business Park if any locals feel like scoping out the area.

Good luck to any Irish readers who decide to apply for positions, too.