Tánaiste begins St. Patrick's Day Visit to New York and Washington D.C.
16 March 2011The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D., is in New York today for a two day visit for St. Patrick’s Day events before travelling on to Washington D.C. for a bilateral meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
The Tánaiste will review the 250th Fifth Avenue St. Patrick’s Day parade on 17th. March and will meet with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Speaker Christine Quinn.
In other New York events the Tánaiste will deliver a keynote address to the Ireland–US Council (1) and will meet with U.S. based Irish business networks. He will also attend the Bank of America - Enterprise Ireland Technology Innovation event in which Irish high-tech companies will meet with some of the leading technology companies in the US. The Tánaiste will also meet with leaders of New York’s Irish community.
The Tánaiste will also use the opportunity to raise awareness of Imagine Ireland: Culture Ireland's year of Irish arts in America 2011.
After his programme in New York, the Tánaiste will travel to Washington D.C. on Friday, where he will have substantive discussions on bilateral issues with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The topics to be discussed will include the global economic recovery, Northern Ireland and immigration issues.
The Tánaiste said:
“I am delighted to be able to participate in events in New York marking St. Patrick’s Day. There are very few other countries who share the depth and range of bonds with the United States that we in Ireland are fortunate to enjoy. That connection is one that I value tremendously and will be making a priority in my new responsibilities as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade”.
Note for editors:
(1)Ireland-US Council: The Council was founded in 1963 to encourage the development of closer economic, business and commercial links between Ireland and the United States. It is headquartered in New York and in 1999 opened a permanent office in Dublin. It aims to provide a platform for the exchange of views at the highest level between representatives from business, Government and other key policy makers from both countries.
