by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jul 1, 2015 | All Chapters
‘Ireland in 1916 was. as it is now, a global island, a nation that both reflected and was engaged in the bigger international issues of the day’
The lead-up to the centenary of the 1916 Rising presents many opportunities to reflect on the diverse and complex history of this island. And thinking about the many strands of our national narrative is also an opportunity to look at our place in the wider world, then and now, and to consider the international dimension of events in Ireland a century ago.
The 1916 Rising took place within a global context of social and political change. This included the international labour movement in which the Scottish-born leader of the Rising, James Connolly, was involved. The campaign for women’s suffrage in Ireland, Britain and the United States, attracted the involvement of Countess Constance Markievicz and Margaret Skinnider. Human rights, which were so vociferously defended by Roger Casement in South America and Africa, also came to be articulated in the Proclamation of the Republic, which sought to guarantee “religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all”.
The Rising also reflected the instability of the then world imperial order, which was collapsing as the battlefields of the first World War witnessed carnage on an industrial scale. Indeed, the Rising occurred at a moment when, as WB Yeats observed, “things fall apart”. It also came to be a reference point for independence movements far beyond this island, in Africa, India and elsewhere in Asia.
The leaders of the Rising also drew inspiration from their own experiences abroad. Pádraig Pearse, a champion of the Irish language, had spent time in Flanders in 1905, to research minority languages there; and Joseph Mary Plunkett had studied Arabic and cultivated an interest in Orientalism. Perhaps most importantly, five of the seven signatories had spent periods of time in the United States, a country which, very significantly, is referred to in the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. For the Rising’s leaders, connecting with Ireland’s “exiled children in America” was as important then as it is for us today.
Ireland in 1916 was, as it is now, a global island, a nation that both reflected and was engaged in the bigger international issues of the day. This is why I asked Ireland’s network of embassies and consulates to plan events which will engage our diaspora and friends abroad, as well as to present the Ireland of today to the world. And our diaspora and friends of Ireland around the world have already set to work with gusto.
The results of this planning can be seen in the Ireland 2016 Global and Diaspora Programme, which I will launch with Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Heather Humphreys in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) in Dublin on Monday evening. It includes flagship events that will showcase the best of traditional and contemporary Ireland across the full range of the arts, including theatre, literature, music and dance.
These partnerships were already evident in one of first events of the Global and Diaspora Programme, the commemorations of the death of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa that took place in New York over this past weekend. (Monday, June 29th marks the actual anniversary of O’Donovan Rossa’s death.) The Irish Consulate, the GAA, the New York County Cork Association, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and many more groups, individuals and other friends of Ireland came together to remember O’Donovan Rossa and his place in our history and in the links between Ireland and the US.
Earlier this year, in May, the Irish Consulate in Hong Kong organised a screening of A Terrible Beauty, a feature-length docudrama set during the Easter Rising of 1916, atWah Yan College, a local secondary school. The event was enhanced by the presence of Fr Joseph Mallin, who taught at the school. Fr Mallin is the son of Michael Mallin, who was executed in May 1916, and is the last surviving child of any of the leaders of the Easter Rising. The RCSI, where we will launch the Ireland 2016 Global and Diaspora Programme this evening, was Michael Mallin’s post during the fighting in St Stephen’s Green.
The centrepiece of the commemorative events in the US will be Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture, a three-week festival, from May 16th to June 5th 2016 at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC . In London, classical musicians from across Ireland will perform at a concert in London’s Wigmore Hall in April 2016.
Young people and community groups from Edinburgh to Buenos Aires are also organising local events; academic institutions from UCD to Notre Dame are planning seminars and conferences; arts venues large and small will mount exhibitions for the general public; and the GAA, which is the very essence of a local organisation working in a global context, will promote wider participation in our national games.
The ferment of revival that influenced the leaders of the Rising had its source both in their local experience and their intellectual engagement in the wider world. In commemorating their achievements and marking their legacy, it is therefore entirely fitting that our programme provides an offering to the Irish diaspora and indeed all friends of Ireland throughout the world.
See dfa.ie/commemorations
Charlie Flanagan is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
To read the original article in the Irish Times on Monday, June 29, 2015 click here.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Jun 10, 2015 | All Chapters
Years ago, as a young historian searching for an as yet untold story on which to write my doctoral dissertation, I came across some obscure reference about Irish famine immigrants to New Orleans. Predestined, I think, by my last name and a much-loved grandfather from Co Roscommon, I was intrigued by this footnote, and, after some investigation of the local universities, I bought a plane ticket to America’s most exotic city. I had never been there before and had an image in my head of ferocious hurricanes, alligator-infested swamps; legendary pirates; sultry Dixie jazz; elegant Creoles; mysterious voodoo; French and Spanish customs, and exquisite food all mixed together into a savoury cultural gumbo.
Where exactly the Irish fit in was really not so clear to me.
So I turned to the cabdriver, always a reliable source for fledgling historians, and asked him if he knew anything about Irish in New Orleans. I will never forget his reply. “Goil,” he said in this inimitable accent that, as I would soon learn, characterises the Irish New Orleanian, “we Irish’s everywhere in dis cidy,” and proceeded to give me an account of New Orleans Irish history, peppered with darling, sweetheart and other terms of endearment that usually no strange man would use towards a woman – except in Ireland. If my cabdriver was to be believed, I had hit pay dirt.
And, indeed, he had not embellished. Over the next quarter of a century, my life was filled – and it still is – with uncovering and teaching the history of the Irish in New Orleans. It is a story rich in adventure, human drama and sacrifice, compassion, great triumphs and celebrations. It is, in short, a testimony to a significant people.
The Irish were part of New Orleans’ history from the start. Records dating back to the colonial period already list Irish names. There were Murphys, McCarthys and O’Malleys here, although often with curiously un-Irish first names like Jean or Miguel or Santiago. These hardy fellows were merchant adventurers on the make or soldiers of fortune who had left Ireland during the eighteenth century to escape the increasingly oppressive penal laws and joined the militaries of Catholic France and Spain to protect the crowns’ far-flung dominions.
One of the more colourful ones serving the Spanish king was a military genius named Alejandro O’Reilly, who had been sent to the young colony of Nueva Orleans to restore order after the town’s residents had forcefully ejected the Spanish governor. O’Reilly and his Spanish and Irish-born troops entered the city with a bang – literally – and the pragmatic Irishman proceeded to quell the rebellion by hanging the leaders of the obstreperous citizenry and distributing their property to his Irish merchant friends who just happened to be along for the trip. Blessed with such good luck, several of them decided to stay, marry into local Creole families and create vast fortunes and legacies that resonate in New Orleans to this day.
Decades later, New Orleans, among the few Catholic cities in North America, became a port of call for refugees from the failed rebellion of 1798. As a port city with a vibrant, internationally connected economy, New Orleans was rich in opportunity and free from British oppression. And there were also a number of well established Irish in town who could offer welcome and help.
How early an Irish community became an identifiable presence (as far as the strict guidelines of historians are concerned) is evidenced by the first newspaper report of a St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17th, 1806. I take no small measure of pride in the fact that I discovered the authentic account of the 17 “official” toasts that were pronounced at this momentous occasion. Clearly, the city’s already well-established reputation for enthusiastic imbibement and the ancient Irish traditions surrounding this Saint’s feast day had found common ground.
The nascent Irish community prospered in the booming economy following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, as the port of New Orleans grew into the fourth largest port in the world. The Irish’s own magnificent St Patrick’s Church was built in 1833. By the mid-1850s, the Irish controlled the ocean-to-river vessel transport and were firmly embedded in every line of the city’s business and trade. In fact, New Orleans is home to the first public monument in the United States to honor a woman – the life-size statue of the great 19th century entrepreneur and philanthropist, Margaret Haughery, an illiterate, widowed immigrant from County Leitrim and life-long resident of the city. The Irish Tiger roared!
Annually, thousands of ocean-going vessels docked, sometimes eight deep, along the wharfs. Moving cargo from their holds onto steamboats to be distributed throughout the newly enlarged nation was a logistical enterprise of immense proportion. Vast resources, financial and human, were needed to keep this global economic hub humming. The Irish community continued to grow as word got back to Ireland that life was good in New Orleans.
It is an unfortunate truth that the growth of the Irish diaspora has come at great cost to the mother country, then and now. Like many other places around the globe, New Orleans, too, experienced a vast inflow of Irish Famine refugees. The passage from Liverpool to New Orleans cost as much as a ticket to New York; and, unlike the latter, New Orleans imposed no quarantine. Moreover, the region’s economy was booming at an unprecedented rate. King Cotton ruled. Jobs were aplenty and prosperity was hard work’s reward.
The Irish families of New Orleans opened their arms to these tens of thousands of Famine refugees, and together they built the foundations of the Irish New Orleans community that thrives to this day. In the decade preceding the Civil War, when the Irish made up over a quarter of the city’s population, this community, consisting to a large proportion of individuals and families who had to sell their possession to escape from the famine-ravaged home land, miraculously built five spectacular churches, as well as orphanages and parochial schools to serve its needs.
Today, the Irish New Orleans community is just as vibrant and energetic as it was over 150 years ago. We bow with pride to the old Irish families who have lived here since the early beginnings, and we continue to welcome new arrivals. We have Irish dance schools, Irish music, theatre and film festivals, a Gaelic football league, dozens of Irish pubs and restaurants, our St. Patrick’s Day toasts have vastly exceeded their modest origin and in 2012, the state legislature formally declared the month of March to be Louisiana’s official Irish month.
There are many more stories in my book, The Irish in New Orleans, and I have many more that are still to be put to paper. But in addition to the personal stories I have uncovered, I have also found a common identity that to this day connects the diaspora with its land of origin. In a larger sense, this book exemplifies an expansion of Irish national identity beyond the traditional geographical boundaries, one inclusive of its diaspora. Faced with the challenges of a global economy, the combined energies of old Ireland and its diaspora are bound to be as successful now as they were in the past.
The Irish in New Orleans is published by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press
Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for the Diaspora, launches it at the Irish Whiskey Museum, Dublin, at 6.30pm on June 10th.
Laura D Kelley teaches history at Tulane University, New Orleans
To view the original article in the Irish Times, click here.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Apr 21, 2015 | All Chapters, Buffalo
On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, New York State Assemblyman, Michael Kearns, announced that links have been established between Irish Network Buffalo, and Mayo County Council Enterprise, and Investment Unit. Assemblyman Kearns was very jubilant announcing the creation of new links between Western New York, and Ireland.
Assemblyman Kearns, whose roots trace back to Westport, Co. Mayo, is a member of the New York State Assembly. Kearns represents the 142nd Assembly District, which spans South Buffalo, half of the city of Lackawanna, West Seneca and Orchard Park, all within the state of New York.
“With our region experiencing significant investment, and our young entrepreneurs evolving and being creative, the time could not be better to establish solid links with an international partner such as Mayo County Council,” Kearns said this morning, “to acknowledge this connection through Irish Network Buffalo, it is with great pleasure that I announce Niagara Falls will turn the green and red of Mayo in celebration of the first ever International Mayo Day on May 2.” “What better way to celebrate than by turning one of the natural wonders of the world, Niagara Falls, to the county colors of our new international partner.”
Kiltimagh native, and Chairperson of Irish Network Buffalo, Padraic Walsh, also attended this morning’s announcement. “What fantastic news that Niagara Falls will be illuminated in the green and red of Co. Mayo so to help us celebrate our connections with Mayo County Council. There are 9.3 million people around the world with Co. Mayo roots, with many of them arriving into Western New York, and Southern Ontario. For Niagara Falls to recognize the contribution of these men and women by lighting up in green and red for Mayo Day is a credit to the Irish Diaspora from around the world. Where would Mayo, and Irish people be without the tireless work of Assemblyman Michael Kearns? He embraced this project from the very beginning. For our own economy to remain strong, and to grow, we need to be reaching out across the Atlantic to our friends in Ireland. With links established between Mayo County Council, and Irish Network Buffalo, it is a leap in the right direction, and we look forward to many years of international collaboration between Western New York and Co. Mayo,” Walsh said this morning. Irish Network Buffalo is the local chapter of the umbrella group, Irish Network USA. Built through volunteers to allow members of the networks connect with their peers and to develop relationships that will foster success in their business, economic, cultural and sports ventures.
Many well-wishers have contacted Assemblyman Kearns and Padraic Walsh to congratulate them on the official announcement that Niagara Falls will turn green and red for International Mayo Day.
Among the well-wishers was Senator Paddy Burke, Cathaoirleach of Seanad Eireann. Senator Burke said that “It really is a great honor for my home county that a site as magnificent as Niagara Falls will proudly display the green and red of Mayo to mark Mayo Day 2015. The lighting of the Falls will speak volumes for the strength of the bonds between Mayo men and women in Ireland and Western New York and will symbolize the warmth of the relationships the Mayo diaspora has built up with their friends and neighbors in the United States. Well done to Assemblyman Michael Kearns for his success in bringing about this great tribute to our shared Mayo heritage!”
Martina Hughes, from Mayo County Council welcomed the exciting news, saying “Mayo Day is a unique concept for Mayo People around the world to recognize their culture, heritage and all that is great about the County and its people. The opportunity to turn Niagara Falls red and green for the occasion is excellent news and I would like to acknowledge Assembly man Michael Kearns and Padraic Walsh in their efforts in this regard.”
Local Mayo TD, Michelle Mulherin sent along her congratulations this morning, “‘to have the iconic Niagara Falls flowing green and red on May 2nd has to be a dream event to celebrate the inaugural Mayo Day 2015. To all our Mayo and Irish diaspora and friends in Western New York and to Assemblyman Kearns thanks for making it happen! And come visit Mayo soon!”
Another local Mayo TD, Dara Calleary is quoted saying “I am thrilled that the iconic Niagara Falls will be decked out in the green and red of Mayo for the first Mayo day. This is a wonderful acknowledgment of the great contribution made by the Mayo diaspora to the state of New York and to the USA for many generations and an endorsement of the strong ties that exist today. Well done to all involved!”
Tony Hennigan, director of Mayo Manchester, said this morning that “it’s fantastic to see our friends in Buffalo spearheading the Mayo Day celebrations by getting Niagara Falls turned Green and Red. I would like to congratulate Padraic Walsh and Assemblyman Michael Kearns in making this happen. We now look forward to seeing New York and the rest of the world following their example.”
In summing up at this morning’s event, Assemblyman Michael Kearns, and Irish Network Buffalo Chairperson, Padraic Walsh, acknowledged that “what started as a simple tweet from Tony Hennigan, Mayo Manchester, has quickly grown into a solid international partnership.” The City of Buffalo, and the greater Western New York region is excited for the future through this new international connection. Irish Network Buffalo is looking forward to hosting many Mayo events in the future, while helping promote Mayo Business, and Mayo Tourism. Our group is also looking forward to welcoming Co. Mayo dignitaries, businesses, colleagues, friends, and hopefully an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny to our region in the future.
Assemblyman Michael Kearns, and Irish Network Buffalo would like to wish all Mayo people worldwide a happy and safe Mayo Day 2015.
For more information:
Irish Network Buffalo
122 North Pearl Street
Buffalo, New York 14202
(716) 244-8912
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Feb 24, 2015 | All Chapters, In The News, News
Minister Flanagan and Minister Bruton announce Enterprise Ireland international programme and St. Patrick’s Day Programme 2015
St. Patrick’s Day ‘Promote Ireland’ programme will see 27 Ministers taking part in over 100 business events and 100 high-level political meetings in 27 countries
Enterprise Ireland international 2015 programme includes increase in activity over last year’s programme which delivered 8,500 extra jobs in Irish companies
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, today [Monday] launched the year-long programme of ministerial-led events targeting trade and investment for Ireland in 2015.
Today’s announcement includes details of Enterprise Ireland’s year-long programme of trade missions and international activity for 2015, which will see a total of 121 international trade missions and events to support Irish companies selling abroad, up from 118 in 2014. 2014 exports by Irish companies supported by Enterprise Ireland significantly exceeded previous records and supported 8,500 extra jobs in Ireland.
The announcement also includes details of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day ‘Promote Ireland’ programme of international activity which will see the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and 27 Ministers taking part in over 100 business events and 100 high-level political meetings in 27 countries.
The announcement took place at the headquarters of ding*, the world’s largest top-up provider and an innovative Irish company which has benefited from trade missions and Enterprise Ireland support in the past.
Delivering an intensive programme of ministerial-led trade missions is a key commitment in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. The number of ministerial-led Enterprise Ireland trade missions has more than doubled since 2011.
Announcing the Enterprise Ireland programme, Minister Bruton said:
“At the heart of the Action Plan for Jobs is our drive to increase Ireland’s exports and create more jobs in exporting companies here. Over the past 4 years, exporting companies supported by my Department have increased their employment by nearly 40,000, with massive knock-on impact in every town and village across the country. The challenge now is to broaden and deepen that impact, and that is why we are increasing even further our programme of supports for our exporting companies.
“In 2014, exports by Irish companies supported by Enterprise Ireland saw a major increase over previous records, supporting an extra 8,500 extra jobs in Ireland. By putting together a programme of international activities for 2015 that is more ambitious and more intensive again, I am convinced that we can support more exports and more jobs in Irish companies right around the country this year. This jobs growth is what will ultimately enable us to grow tax revenues and ultimately deliver income tax cuts and improved services, improving people’s lives”.
Announcing the St. Patrick’s Day programme, Minister Flanagan said:
“The value of St. Patrick’s Day to the promotion of Ireland overseas cannot be overestimated. The St. Patrick’s Day period is perhaps the best showcase of “Team Ireland” in operation abroad. Last year’s programme reached audiences of over 353,000 directly and 80 million through media coverage, and assisted in securing €5 million in new business for Irish exporters.
“The Embassy network and State agencies are engaged from an early stage in putting together Ministerial St. Patrick’s Day programmes to drive forward Ireland’s overseas promotion of trade, investment, tourism and education services.
“This year’s schedule of travel reflects the importance of both new and established markets, and reflects also the recent expansion of the Embassy network, Diaspora hubs, and Ireland’s work in Development Cooperation.
“When Ministers travel this year, the message they will be taking with them is that Ireland is reinvigorated. It is as dynamic, innovative, and welcoming as ever before, and a stable place in which to do business.
“Our network of Embassies and Consulates which work so closely with our State agencies to put in place the programmes for Ministerial travel, will be reporting on the economic, cultural and public diplomacy outcomes for Ireland following this year’s visits.
“I look forward to working with our Embassy network and the State agencies, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia, and Science Foundation Ireland, to help promote trade, investment, tourism and education services abroad.”
Brendan Flood, Head of International Sales and Partnering at Enterprise Ireland said:
“Exports create and sustain jobs in Ireland. 2014 was a record year for new job creation by Enterprise Ireland companies. Our focus in 2015 is firmly on building on this success by helping clients grow their export sales. Central to Enterprise Ireland’s strategy are Ministerial-led trade missions and international events which are invaluable in opening doors and making high-level introductions for our clients, enabling them exploit the opportunities that exist in global markets. The locations selected are based on our research and market intelligence pointing to the locations and sectors with the greatest opportunity to grow exports. Our 2015 International Events Programme is designed to meet the needs of companies at different stages of development, from looking at new market opportunities, to scaling their progress in their key markets. At the core of this programme is creating opportunities to meet key decision makers in international companies.”
Mark English, Chief Operating Officer of ding* said:
“It is our pleasure to welcome Ministers Bruton & Flanagan here today and be a part of the launch of the St Patrick’s Day programme 2015 and the ministerial-led trade mission programme. The support of bodies like Enterprise Ireland as well as Ireland’s positive reputation around the world have helped ding* enormously over the last number of years as we’ve extended our services to over 130 countries.”
ENDS
Press Office
23 February 2015
Notes to Editors
The launch comes a day ahead of the eighth meeting of the Export Trade Council, which will include, among other items, discussion on the programme of trade and promotional travel for 2015.
Enterprise Ireland International Programme
Full programme available at: http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Events/International-Events-Programme-2015.pdf
· The International Events Programme 2015 lists all activities that Enterprise Ireland has organised to assist clients to develop and build their international business. It is the largest programme ever launched by Enterprise Ireland. There are a total of 121 events in train for this year. In 2014 there were 118
· The purpose of publishing this programme is to allow Irish companies to identify which events are most suitable to assist them to achieve sales in their key markets ; to look at opportunities in new markets and finally to learn about new ways of doing business
· A vital component to this programme is the presence of Ministers. There are 22 Ministerial–led Trade Missions and events. The presence of a Minister is critical for opening doors with potential customers to gain business for Irish companies. This is particularly the case in new and emerging markets. In addition to Trade Missions, Ministers will also be involved in international Sales Leads Events and Trade Fairs. This figure does not include St Patricks Day Events.
· In 2014 more than 1000 client companies participated in our International Events Programme – we expect that this record will be exceeded in 2015.
· The programme is composed of:
– Inward Missions where Enterprise Ireland brings overseas buyers to meet with potential Irish suppliers. In 2014 over 900 international decision makers came to Ireland through our activities. In 2015 we are targeting over 1100 buyers to Ireland. Major events in 2015 such as Med in Ireland for which Enterprise Ireland targets buyers in the healthcare and medtech will contribute to this increase.
– Enterprise Ireland will organise group Irish stands at 27 international trade fairs in 2015 including Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the most important event for mobile telephony and related markets, and at the Paris and Dubai air shows, the most prestigious events for the aviation sector.
– A vital part of this year’s programme are Client Knowledge Forums which consist of seminars/workshops to advise clients of new and developing opportunities in global markets, e.g. Sports Technology in June or forums which enable clients to enhance their sales and marketing skills such Digital Strategies for Overseas Markets. Enterprise Ireland has organised 40 client knowledge forums across the regions in 2015 – a large increase on 2014.
– Outward Missions where Enterprise Ireland takes clients to meet potential customers and/or partners/distributors in overseas markets. The majority of these are targeting emerging and developing economies.
– Market Study Visits are designed to assist companies looking for new market opportunities, e.g. Market Study Visit to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for companies looking at potential business generated by the large scale infrastructural developments taking place in those markets.
– Sales Leads Events – one of the key innovations in Enterprise Ireland’s Events programme has been to create opportunities for Irish companies to network with key decision markets in overseas markets. 21 Sales Leads Events are planned for 2015.
St. Patrick’s Day “Promote Ireland” programme
The St. Patrick’s Day period is a key lynchpin of the Government’s efforts to promote trade, tourism, investment, education, innovation and culture to an overseas audience.
Over the 2014 St Patrick’s Day period, the Taoiseach, the then Tánaiste, Attorney General and 23 Ministers, with the support of the Embassy network and State agencies:
· Participated in 124 high-level political meetings arranged by the Embassy network.
· Directly reached audiences of over 353,000 with coordinated messages on tourism, trade and investment designed to raise the positive profile of Ireland internationally.
· Participated in 115 focussed company engagements with potential to support new commercial links, export opportunities or win new investments.
· Assisted in securing €5 million in immediate new business for Irish exporters during the high level visits over the season. 108 additional specific business events were attended by over 13,600 Irish and international company representatives.
· Delivered an average of 17 promotional events and engagements per Embassy or Consulate, across 133 cities in 68 countries.
This year will see a programme of Ministerial travel to 45 destinations across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa for a series of trade, investment and tourism-focused programmes.
Several destinations have been included in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day programme for the first time, including Brazil, a priority market identified in the Review of the Government Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy, to which Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, T.D., will travel. Ireland is the fourth most popular destination for Brazilian students under the Brazilian student mobility programme Science Without Borders.
Minister Bruton is due to travel to Paris for an intensive programme of trade and tourism promotion, while Minister Coveney’s itinerary in Italy has been formulated to highlight the Year of Irish Design and Ireland’s participation in Milan’s EXPO 2015.
Minister Flanagan will travel to New York and to Canada. With New York as ever a major global centre for St Patrick’s Day engagements, the Minister’s programme will combine representing the government at traditional festivities with trade and investment events and high level political contacts with local and national figures, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He will also meet with key Irish community figures engaged in US immigration issues as well as with those interested in Northern Ireland matters. Given increased air links, a vibrant Irish community, the new EU-Canada (CETA) trade agreement and the strength of Canadian economy, Minister Flanagan intends to focus his visit to Toronto on growing further the business relationship. Canada is a G7 economy with a GDP of over €1.3 trillion, with annual trade with Ireland already in excess of €2.75 billion. Key events in his Toronto programme will include a 1200-guest Ireland Funds event, meetings with Toronto’s financial sector and political contacts.
Minister Paschal Donohoe will travel to San Francisco, Silicon Valley and San Jose. The focus will be on trade & investment, including the expansion of IDA’s west-coast operations, community outreach, highlight positive aspects of the J1 programme in southern California, and planned expansion of the Aer Lingus Dublin-SFO direct service in summer 2015.
Minister Heather Humphreys will travel to London. Ireland’s relationship with Britain is one of Ireland’s most crucial bilateral relationships, not just politically but also on the trade, investment, tourism, cultural and community fronts. St. Patrick’s Day 2015 offers a unique opportunity to leverage the goodwill generated by the historic State Visit to Britain by President Higgins in April 2014, to develop our political and economic relationship and to communicate key messages to the Irish community in Britain, to a British political, economic and media audience, as well as internationally through the significant foreign media presence in Britain.
Minister Simon Coveney will travel to Italy which is Ireland’s 9th largest merchandise trading partner with bilateral trade at €3.15 billion in 2013, mostly in Ireland’s favour. Services trade between Ireland and Italy is valued at €7.9 billion (2012), again balanced in Ireland’s favour.
The Embassy intends to build on the success of the 2014 St. Patrick’s Day visit which achieved publicity with an equivalent advertising value of €1.2m for ‘Greenings’ and St. Patrick’s Day.
About Ding
Delivering a top-up every second of every day
Established in 2006, ding* has always had the same vision – to keep the world’s mobile phones topped-up…
Created to help people living abroad support loved ones back home, the company is directly connected to over 300 mobile operators in 130 countries with a reach of 3.5 billion phones. People can send top-up on www.ding.com, the mobile app and in more than 500,000 retail locations around the world.
As world’s largest top-up provider, ding* safely delivers a top-up every second of every day. ding*employs 200 people with its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and regional offices in Miami, Dubai, San Salvador, Bucharest, Barcelona and Dhaka.
For further information visit www.ding.com
St Patrick’s Day programme:
An Tánaiste, Joan Burton
USA (Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia)
Minister Charles Flanagan
Canada, USA (NYC)
Minister Brendan Howlin
South Korea, Japan
Minister Richard Bruton
France (Paris)
Minister Heather Humphreys
UK (London)
Minister Paschal Donohoe
USA (San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San José)
Minister Alex White
New Zealand
Minister Alan Kelly
China
Minister Jan O’Sullivan
Brazil
Minister Simon Coveney
Italy
Minister Frances Fitzgerald
Indonesia, Singapore
Minister James Reilly
UAE, India
Minister Leo Varadkar
Mexico
MoS Seán Sherlock
Ethiopia
MoS Paul Kehoe
USA (Houston, Savannah)
MoS Ged Nash
Sweden
MoS Jimmy Deenihan
USA (Chicago, Milwaukee)
MoS Michael Ring
USA (Phoenix, Los Angeles)
MoS Tom Hayes
Australia
MoS Kathleen Lynch
Russia
MoS Joe McHugh
UK (Scotland)
MoS Kevin Humphreys
Croatia, Switzerland
Mos Paudie Coffey
USA (St. Louis, Indianapolis)
MoS Simon Harris
Germany
MoS Dara Murphy
Belgium
MoS Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Hungary
MoS Ann Phelan
The Netherlands
MoS Damien English
Denmark, Slovakia
ENDS
Laura D Kelley, author of The Irish in New Orleans: in addition to the personal stories I have uncovered, I have also found a common identity that to this day connects the diaspora with its land of origin. In a larger sense, this book exemplifies an expansion of Irish national identity beyond the traditional geographical boundaries, one inclusive of its diaspora. 
