by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Oct 14, 2014 | All Chapters, In The News
In 2014, Ireland will open new diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Zagreb, Bangkok, Jakarta, Nairobi, São Paolo — and Austin, Texas.
Ireland’s sixth consulate general in the U.S. will open in the state’s capital city this month, on the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States. It’ll be Austin’s second international consulate, after Mexico, and only the second new Irish consulate in America in the last 70 years.
The new consulate shows the Irish government’s strong commitment to promoting relations between Ireland and Texas — and I’m delighted to serve as Ireland’s first consul general to Texas.
The opening of the consulate will formalize a friendship between Ireland and Texas that is anything but new. The Irishman Hugh O’Connor, a Dublin native, served as the Spanish governor of Texas from 1767 to 1770. Twelve men who died defending the Alamo were born in Ireland, and many Irish-born soldiers fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. Over the past two centuries, Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans have contributed heavily to building the physical and social infrastructure that has been central to Texas’ development and identity. The Irish have played, and continue to play, a key role in Texas and its success, and the opening of the new consulate is the latest chapter in this great history.
As consul general, I’ll work to build stronger economic and cultural links between Ireland and Texas, but the development of closer relations at the political level will also be a major priority. This is one of the reasons why Ireland has chosen to establish a diplomatic mission in the state capital.
Since I arrived in Austin a few weeks ago, I’ve been reminded that everything is bigger in Texas. With a population of 4.6 million, Ireland’s domestic economy may be much smaller than the Lone Star State’s, but like Texas, Ireland has developed one of the world’s most open and export-oriented trading economies. As consul general, I’ll work with colleagues in two Irish state agencies — Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Authority — to further Irish-Texan trade and investment links.
Like Texas, Ireland’s economy is growing fast. Over the past year, Ireland’s GDP has risen by 7.7 percent and exports have increased by 13 percent, driven by more trade with markets including the U.S., Ireland’s skilled workforce and our commitment to innovation. In 2013, Forbes magazine ranked Ireland as the best country in the world to do business. Ireland’s innovation economy is home to 10 of the 10 top global internet firms, nine of the 10 top global software companies, 15 of the 20 top global medical technology firms and many of the global leaders in financial services. Ireland is also an important English-speaking gateway to the European internal market of 500 million consumers.
Exports by Irish-owned companies to the U.S. grew by some 50 percent between 2009 and 2012, and while this is undoubtedly welcome, there’s still considerable untapped potential for Ireland and Texas. The new consulate in Austin will work to strengthen Irish-Texan economic ties and to facilitate future mutually beneficial growth and partnership.
Speaking in Dublin earlier this year, Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry highlighted increased levels of Irish investment and job creation in Texas across a wide range of sectors. Ireland’s focus on developing innovative and advanced technologies makes Texas a great match for Irish companies seeking to grow and internationalize their operations.
My other core priorities will involve reaching out to some of the 1.1 million Texans who claim Irish ancestry, and promoting Ireland’s unique culture and heritage to new audiences. More than 1 million North Americans travel to Ireland every year to experience Ireland’s scenery, its hospitality and its famous ceol agus craic (music and fun), and I hope to show Texans why Ireland is such a unique and unforgettable vacation destination.
Since moving to Austin last month, I’ve received the warmest of welcomes. I’m delighted that the Texans I’ve met are as excited about the many opportunities for future closer Irish-Texan ties as I am. I look forward to celebrating our shared heritage and culture, and to building on our common commitment to trade, entrepreneurship and innovation to forge even closer links between Ireland and Texas into the future.
Adrian Farrell
Consul general of Ireland in Texas
@IrelandCGAustin
http://tribtalk.org/2014/10/12/the-ireland-texas-connection/
by Steve Lenox | Oct 9, 2014 | Blog, Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, Seattle
Several Irish Network USA members have had their passports stamped in the past month while participating in various trade missions and conferences in Galway, Dublin and Belfast.
(more…)
by Steve Lenox | Oct 9, 2014 | All Chapters, Blog
Irish Network USA Encourages Eligible Members to Apply for Diversity Visa Lottery
We are grateful to the Emerald Isle Immigration Center (EIIC) for making Irish Network USA aware of the opportunity for eligible members to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery by the US Department of State. Earlier this month the annual diversity lottery registration and application period opened for those who are eligible to apply for a green card to reside permanently in the United States. Applications are only accepted online and must be submitted by November 3, 2014.
“The green card lottery is a yearly opportunity for qualified applicants who are legally in the United States or overseas to attain permanent resident status here with no strings attached,” said John A. Stahl, EIIC’s Immigration Legal Services Director. In warning applicants of potential online scams promising favorable application processing in return for a fee Stahl offered that “there is no fee to apply and there is only one official website to register.”
While only 100,000 applications out of an estimated 8-10 million entries will be selected and given the chance to apply for permanent residency, Siobhan Dennehy, Executive Director of the EIIC reminds those eligible that “the DV Lottery is one of the few ways that exist to apply for a green card. Despite the low allocation of green cards to Ireland, it is worth the effort, if you really do want a long term option to stay legally in America.”
“Irish Network USA puts great effort into providing support and programming that appeals to every segment of our diverse and inclusive membership,” stated Steve Lenox, President of Irish Network USA. “The Emerald Isle Immigration Center, and their sister organizations within the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers across the US, have proven to be an invaluable resource to countless INUSA members, and we are proud to support their efforts to make sure that every eligible Irish person now residing in the US has the opportunity to avail themselves of this application process.
For further information about Irish Centers in the US providing free assistance with the DV Lottery Application please visit the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers online.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Oct 7, 2014 | All Chapters, Event Information, In The News, Uncategorized
What happens when sixteen visual artists, two sculptors, a performance poet, a writer, a
musician, a singer, a performance artist and an actor / producer meet in a room in Ireland?
Between them they decide to collaborate, to join talents and move their art into spheres they
haven’t explored before. Between them they set up the first intercultural, cross disciplinary
artistic collaborative to come out of Ireland …in 2014.
And they call themselves:
‘idir’ – from the gaelic for ‘between’ …signifying collaboration between artists, between cultures,
between countries and continents.
This October they are invited by the New York Foundation For The Arts.
to tour their work to DUMBO, NY for a four month exhibition.
Please join us on 9th October
6-9pm for the opening of the New York exhibition.
Event: Group Ego Trip 1 curated by David C. Terry
Where: 20 Jay Street, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (F train York St Subway)
Tel: (212) 366-6900
When: 9th October 2014 – 30th January 2015
What time: 6.30pm – 9pm
RSVP: by 1st October 2014 to idirevent@gmail.com
Website: www.idirart.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idirart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/idirartists
Further Press Information: Iris Park – irispark14@gmail.com 00353863621166
idir was established as a collective in 2013, by twenty six Irish based practitioners.
The creative artists met at the Centre For Creative Practices, Dublin during The Profitable
Artist Bootcamp, the brainchild of the New York Foundation For The Arts, last October.
by Deirdre Woodbyrne | Sep 30, 2014 | All Chapters, In The News, News, Press Releases, Uncategorized
Irish Network USA would like to add our voice to the chorus of congratulations on the swearing in of Kevin F. O’Malley to serve as the US Ambassador to Ireland.
Mr. O’Malley embodies the very best traits of so many Irish Americans that still instinctively refer to Ireland as ‘home’. His willingness to listen to all sides, combined with an ability to make an informed and definitive decision, will serve him well in Dublin. With his appointment and swearing in, Ambassador O’Malley joins a long line of top notch diplomats that have served in this prestigious post, and there is no doubt that he will bring the same honor to it, and to the US, as those before him.
We look forward to working with Ambassador O’Malley throughout his time in Dublin to further strengthen the already unbreakable bonds, in business, culture, education or sport, that already tie our two great nations together.
by Steve Lenox | Sep 22, 2014 | All Chapters, Austin, In The News, News
From September 11th-14th we gathered in Austin, Texas for our Annual National Conference. Sheila Langan of Irish Central was there to capture the action.
“INUSA – 19 chapters strong across the US after only four years – is a shining example of what can be achieved when the larger Irish diaspora bands together.
The network is dedicated to fostering professional, economic, cultural and social connections between Ireland and the US, and has grown dramatically since its founding four years ago in the midst of Ireland’s economic crisis. In the last year alone, its membership has nearly doubled in size to 3,500 and counting.
INUSA has tapped into the established Irish professional networks in New York, Boston and Chicago, but the organization is also at the forefront in cities and states where the larger Irish communities are still in the process of connecting and growing – such as the Bay Area, with its many Irish entrepreneurs and start-ups; New Orleans, with its rich Irish cultural history just waiting to be further explored; and Austin, with its booming tech and innovation scene that’s drawing Irish transplants.” Read more here in Irish Central.
