Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 May 2013
39. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of the discussions with New Hampshire State officials that the Embassy of Ireland in Washington had on their recent visit to New England; if he envisages that any new links will be established, either with the diaspora, in terms of trade or otherwise, between the US State and here in the near future [21901/13]
View answerThe Ambassador to the United States, Michael Collins, accompanied by the Consul General for the New England area, Michael Lonergan, visited New Hampshire on April 26 where they met with Governor Maggie Hassan in the State capital, Concord. Ambassador Collins and Governor Hassan discussed a number of issues of mutual interest to Ireland and New Hampshire, focusing heavily on trade and investment. The Ambassador also extended an invitation to the Governor to visit Ireland at some point in the future.
Later the Ambassador gave a public lecture on “Ireland and the EU: Economic Challenges and Recovery” at Saint Anselm College in the State’s largest city, Manchester to an audience drawn from the area’s business, political, academic and Irish American communities and answered a number of questions.
New Hampshire has strong historical links to Ireland, with over 280,000, or over one-fifth of the state’s population, claiming Irish ancestry. Such strong Diaspora connections are a tangible asset in developing Irish trade and investment links in the region. A number of Enterprise Ireland client companies have also opened offices recently in New Hampshire as an initial gateway to the United States marketplace. I hope this recent visit encourages further development of economic relations between New Hampshire and Ireland.
