We went to see Apple's European HQ in Ireland - here's what we found

Apple has publicly stated that it wants to significantly expand its operations in Ireland.

The Cupertino, California, company currently employs 5,500 people in Cork, where its European headquarters are based - and Apple CEO Tim Cook has plans to hire an additional 1,000 people in the region by mid-2017.

But relatively little is known about what Apple does in this small city on the south east coast of Ireland, population 120,000.

The company's main campus is situated in a suburban area of Cork called Hollyhill, while it also has another discrete, yet large, office in the heart of the city.

Business Insider visited these sites - as well as a site for a proposed €850 million (£669 million) Apple data centre on Ireland's west coast - to see what we could find out. Apple did not allow us to enter any of its buildings.