In the Pouladuff area on Cork's south side at the weekend, they were speaking of young people conducting business in up to 21 languages. The world's largest timeshare company, RCI, had moved into its new premises at Loughmahon Technology Park after a massive logistical exercise. Cork is now set to become RCI's European headquarters.
RCI's concept of timeshare is a bit different from most. It's not about buying a share in a holiday destination and being stuck there for the rest of your days. Under its scheme, you can swap your place in the sun for some other person's as many times as you wish during the year.
The Pouladuff site was temporary, but the Loughmahon one is custom-built and has state-of-the art facilities. Friday it was Pouladuff, Saturday was Loughmahon. A convoy of lorries shuttled between the temporary premises and the new location, moving sophisticated computer equipment, high-tech materials and all that goes with a major company move into a 120,000 sq ft complex.
In a sense, that was the easy bit, but for RCI staff from a dozen European companies, now centralised in Cork, there must have been a few other problems last weekend.
In time it will all work out, but trying to find your way around Cork these days is a bit like taking on a maze with a blindfold. "Cross the river", people tell tourists, but they never explain that the river divides into different channels. Regularly, visitors ask: "How many rivers are there in this town?"
Somehow, they all got there in the end, and within 24 hours RCI was going about its business as normal.
I have seen the operation at work in the UK and it is fascinating. Somebody from Palermo calls and will be dealt with by an Italian-speaking operator. A caller from France will be answered by a fluent Frenchspeaker.
What would happen if a fluent speaker of the first official language called to seek a place in the sun? I must ask about that.
The reason they are ringing in the first place is that people want to move about. Last year it was London; this year, I think I'd fancy something in Florida. Do you have anyone in Florida who wants to swap? That's roughly how the conversations go. Isn't it nice for some?
RCI says its new Cork call centre is the most modern in the world. As well as all that high-tech stuff, it has a sunken, internal garden, a gymnasium and superb restaurant facilities plus a cybercafe, if you don't mind, to allow staff to keep in touch with home on the Net.
The 350 staff will also be able to watch their local home television channels via satellite. RCI says it's not finished here and that expansion plans could make it one of the biggest employers in Cork over the next five years. The company is part of the Cendant Corporation which employs 40,000 people in over 100 countries.