Chinese president gets memento of ’Bridge heifer

A FRAMED photograph of a 15-month-old Sixmilebridge Friesian heifer, named in honour of Chinese President Xi Xingping, was presented to him during a bilateral and trade parliamentary delegation on Friday.
The heifer was born on the farm of James Lynch in February 2012 and was subsequently called after the then Chinese vice-president during his whistle-stop tour of Shannon Airport, the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty.
Led by Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett, the delegation met with President Xi ­Xingping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, which was unusual, as he normally meets only heads of state there.
Deputy Breen said it was a great honour to make the presentation and to become the first Clare man to meet the new president, who spoke of fond memories of his trip to Ireland last year and in ­particular his visit to Clare.
“The president, through his interpreter, conveyed his best wishes to the Lynch family, asked about their children, saying that his visit to the farm was the highlight of his trip and he fondly recalled drinking Irish coffee with the Lynch family.
“President Xi also said that he hoped he could become an ambassador for the Cliffs of Moher after I told him that many Chinese tourists have followed in his footsteps to stand in the spot where he stood during his visit to the cliffs last year.
“The president has a ­photograph of his visit to the Cliffs hanging in his office,” he said.
He stated the delegation had a very successful meeting with Mr Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing ­Committee, in relation to the beef trade and he is committed to opening the Chinese market to Irish beef as soon as possible.
Deputy Breen said he hoped to discuss the possibility of providing a dedicated place at the Cliffs, where the president was photographed, on his return with centre director, Katherine Webster.
Ms Webster has confirmed Chinese tourists visiting the Cliffs had almost increased two-fold since his visit.
While the visitor centre could not recognise all of its famous visitors by providing the likes of footprints, Ms Webster said she would be happy to discuss this issue with Deputy Breen.
She added their staff are happy to direct any visitor to the place where famous people had stood for the purposes of photographs.
Meanwhile, James Lynch hopes the visit will provide the catalyst for the re-opening of the beef trade between Ireland and China. The Dairygold vice-chairman said he would love to see the heifer ­becoming one of the first animals exported from Clare to the China if the beef trade is reopened.