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New Consul-General welcomes Minister Richard Bruton to Sydney

New Consul-General of Ireland, Jane Connolly, welcomed Minister Richard Bruton to Sydney as her first official engagement since taking up her post in Sydney on 1 September 2014. The event at Parliament House, co-hosted by the New South Wales Parliamentary Friends of Ireland and the Consulate-General of Ireland, was the largest event of the Minister’s Trade Mission to Australia with some 150 attendees drawn from the Irish business community in Sydney and from key EI and IDA client companies and partners.

Minister Bruton and Consul General Connolly

Speaking at the event, Consul-General Jane Connolly said she looked forward to getting to know the Irish business community over the coming years and remarked on the strength of the relationship between Ireland and Australia.

Richard Bruton T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation wished Jane Connolly the very best in her new post and remarked that:

“Few peoples have had as strong an impact on Sydney as the Irish. The links between Ireland and Sydney are strong. The story of the Irish in Sydney is not just confined to historic records, to statues and to street names; it is a living story of Irish people who continue to travel here and experience this great city, to enjoy it, grow to love it and, in some cases, to eventually call it home.”

Minister Richard Bruton

The value of the economic relationship between Ireland and Australia is stronger than at any time in our respective nations’ history. In the last five years, the number of Irish companies active across this region has grown from less than 50 to more than 150, with an increase in exports to this market of almost 90% to a value exceeding $500m. Much of this growth is attributable to software.

Minister Bruton was in Australia leading a 5 day trade mission from 1 – 5 September covering Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney with a focus on the software and internationally traded services sector. The objective of the mission was to highlight the world leading capabilities of Irish technology companies and to create opportunities for Irish and Australian companies to collaborate in the development of the local and broader Asia Pacific markets.

Jane Connolly is the fifth Consul-General to be assigned to Sydney since the Consulate-General of Ireland in Sydney opened in March 2000.