Tag Archives: United States

The Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, continues a programme of engagements in the United States during which he will highlight developments in Ireland’s data protection environment and its steadfast commitment as an EU member state. The programme will include 18 high-level meetings and events in San Francisco and Seattle, including a series of meetings with client companies and representatives of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. During the course of the visit, the Minister will use the opportunity to emphasise Ireland’s attractiveness as an investment location – as an English speaking, common law jurisdiction with direct access to Europe’s single market – and its commitment to EU membership, particularly in the context of Brexit. Speaking in San Francisco, Minister Breen said,: “I am delighted to be here on the West Coast, it is a valuable opportunity to further strengthen the strong economic and cultural links between Ireland …

A delegation of 19 tourism enterprises, including the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis, undertook a three-city trade and media blitz to the west coast of the United States last week. Thirteen Irish tourism companies and six American tour operators met influential travel agents and tour operators in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, as part of Tourism Ireland’s 2017 promotions. California is now the second largest and fast-growing market within the United States for tourism to the island of Ireland. The sales blitz coincided with the announcement by Aer Lingus that its Los Angeles-Dublin flight will become a daily service for summer 2017. This is in addition to the Aer Lingus San Francisco-Dublin flight and Ethiopian Airlines’ service from Los Angeles. The ‘Jump into Ireland’ events were also an ideal opportunity to remind the American travel professionals that it’s now easier than ever before to get to the island of Ireland from the west coast of the US. Alison Metcalfe, …

Minister for Employment and Small Business, Clare TD, Pat Breen departs today on a five-day Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota , one of the largest medtech clusters in the United States. Eighteen Irish life sciences companies are participating on the mission which aims to highlight Ireland as a key hub for innovative life sciences solutions and to explore business and research opportunities in the Twin Cities area where approximately 700 medtech companies are based. Despite the global recession, the Irish life sciences sector has continued to grow and has evolved into one of the leading global clusters with direct employment of 50,000 people and exports of more than €50 billion annually. Minister for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen TD said, “Thirteen of the world’s top 15 leading medtech multinationals now have operations in Ireland but the most impressive progression in our system has been the emergence and growth of our own …

Senate Spokesperson for the Irish Overseas and Diaspora and Chair of the Ireland America Association, Mark Daly has called on the Government to ensure 2016 is the year the 50,000 undocumented Irish can come home to see their loved ones. “With 50,000 Undocumented Irish in America, we estimate that approximately 500,000 people in Ireland, that includes mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and other family members are affected by the lack of Immigration Reform in the United States,” said Senator Daly. “There has been little progress made in 2015; humanitarian visas were not made available, despite my request that the Government ask for President Obama to include such a provision in the Executive Action which is now being challenged in the supreme court. People should be given access to humanitarian visa, this would allow them to return to the US if they need to travel home to Ireland to be with family members in times of distress, illness or bereavement. “I am …

Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Pat Breen has urged Clare students who intend travelling to the United States on J1 visas this summer to pack a copy of the new guide. Produced by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,the new guide for J1 visas was officially launched by the Minister of State with responsibility for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan. “The J1 Visa Programme provides a wonderful opportunity to Irish Students to work and travel to the United States. Over the years, the programme has made an enormous contribution to the enhancement of Irish/America bilateral relations. Over 8,000 students have applied for the programme this year and Ireland sends more students on this programme than any other country in the world. Many students from Clare have travelled to the US on J1 ‘s and more are planning to travel this summer. The majority of …

By Peter O’Connell NINETY-NINE years ago this week, two Coolmeen men were among 1,198 passengers and crew drowned when the British ocean liner, the Lusitania, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. The tragedy happened on May 7, 1915, when the ship was just 18km off the Irish coast at Kinsale. The Coolmeen passengers were Michael Galvin of Derryshane and Dr Joe Garry of Shanahea. Michael Galvin had emigrated to New York on September 21, 1906, aged 22. He was coming home to visit his family in Coolmeen, when disaster struck a short distance from Ireland. Kilmurry McMahon historian, Paul Markham has been researching the sinking of the Lusitania and, in particular, the West Clare link, as the 100th anniversary approaches. “Michael Galvin has three nieces living, two of whom are nuns in Kent; Sister Margaret, aged 98, and Sister Anne, aged 95. Another sister, Delia, aged 96, lives in Plymouth, England. This very week, I had a letter …