Tag Archives: state visit

  THE strong economic and historical ties between Ireland and the United States of America have been emphasised by US Vice-President, Mike Pence at an event in Shannon Airport. Speaking at a press conference in the Presidential Suite at Shannon Airport, Vice- President Pence said it was a “privilege” and honor to visit the Republic of Ireland. The vice-president was welcomed on the runway at Shannon Airport by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, Clare County Council chairman, Cathal Crowe, Irish American Ambassador, Dan Mulhall, Shannon Group chairperson, Rose Hynes and Chief of Protocol, Emma Madigan after he came off US Air Force Two at 4.19pm on Monday afternoon. The press conference was Vice-President Pence’s first official engagement at the start of this state visit to Ireland, which includes visiting Doonbeg to meet some of his relatives. Vice-President Pence said he spoke to President Trump on the way who he wanted to extend his greetings to the Irish government and …

THE President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Joachim Gauck, was in “God’s wide fields” in Ballyvaughan for the first of a two-stage visit to Clare this week. Mr Gauck, accompanied by his partner Ms Daniela Schadt, was delighted to be visiting the Droney’s 90 hectare Origin Green farm in Ballycahill, near Ballyvaughan and to be surrounded by 200 beef suckler cows and 200 sheep, a vista, he admitted, that brought him back to his childhood in post-war Germany. “For me, it is so good,” Mr Gauck told The Clare Champion. “In my youth, I saw so many cows outside and now, if I go back to my home area in the north of Germany, no cows are outside, sheep are a little bit but the cows are all inside in a shed. “This is a programme that works with the support of the Government and the influence of the European Union to support this kind of agriculture, not the …

The President of Germany Joachim Gauck concluded a three-day state trip to Ireland this afternoon by visiting the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience. Councillor James Breen, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, welcomed President Joachim Gauck to the council owned Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience and presented him with a photographic print of the Cliffs of Moher framed in local slate, designed by Irish Slate Crafts. Ms. Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, provided the German Head of State and the official delegation with a guided tour of the County Clare attraction. German visitors are the largest visitor group to the Cliffs of Moher after the USA with over 145,000 travelling to Ireland’s second busiest visitor attraction in 2014.

NORTH Clare artist, Michael Hanrahan has been invited again to Buckingham Palace to deliver his painting, entitled The Horse-Drawn Carriage At Windsor. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth gave Michael permission to paint various scenes from the historic visit of Irish President, Michael D Higgins to the United Kingdom last April. She also said she wished to see the work on completion. She has now written to the artist, accepting Michael’s gift of this painting. The painting depicts the Australian State carriage as it made its way to Windsor Castle, carrying the Queen and President Higgins. Michael will deliver the painting to Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm on Monday, October 6. This is the artist’s second visit to the palace, having presented a further painting, entitled The Queen at the Garden of Remembrance. This painting followed Queen Elizabeth’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011. Michael was the only artist accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs to capture this visit on canvas. The …