Kerry County Council was represented at several St Patrick’s Day engagements in New York and London over the weekend.
Mayor of Kerry, Cllr Breandán Fitzgerald, attended a number of meetings and events in New York as part of the national holiday celebrations.
He was accompanied by Director of Finance and Killarney Municipal District Manager, Angela McAllen, and Director of Corporate Services, Christy O’Connor, who meet with representatives of IDA North America and Tourism Ireland-North America and attended a reception hosted by the Mayor of New York City, Hon Eric Adams.
|It was a great honour to join the Kerry Association and represent the people of Kerry at the annual parade in New York and to meet with many organisations and individuals who are working hard in the United States to promote Kerry as a place to live, work and invest,” said Cllr Fitzgerald.
The deputy mayor, Cllr Fionnán Fitzgerald, visited London and joined the Kerry Association in the city for the St Patrick’s Day parade.
He was accompanied by Director of Economic and Community Development, Niamh O’Sullivan and attended a reception at the Irish Embassy hosted by the Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Martin Fraser.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Kerry TD, Norma Foley, has completed a five-day visit to London where she had a series of engagements with the Irish community in London as well as meetings with senior British politicians.
She marched in the St Patrick’s Day parade in London, alongside the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan and grand marshals, Irish Olympic gold-medal winning boxer Katie Harrington and Paralympic gold-medal winning cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy.
Minister Foley said: “This visit has all been about promoting and nurturing the ties of friendship that exist between Ireland and Britain. We are living in a very unpredictable world and we need to hold on to everything that keeps us sure-footed. Friendship keeps us sure footed in a time of change.”
Trade between Ireland and Britain is worth over €100 billion annually.
Minister Foley spoke at the annual St Patrick’s Day reception in Westminster which promotes peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and throughout Ireland and Britain.
She also had a meeting with Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, whose grandfather is from Galway.
Minister Foley visited to the London Irish Centre in Camden to hear about their work with the Irish community. She met members of the London-Irish community in the centre’s popular café, as well as staff of the centre’s Survivors Integrated Service, who support survivors of institutional abuse in Ireland that now reside in London.
She was also briefed about their exciting plan to redevelop the London Irish Centre which is being supported by the Irish government.
The minister attended a reception to celebrate the life of renowned Irish novelist Edna O’Brien, who passed away in London in July 2024, and she met the Kerry Association in London and many other members of the Irish and British communities. Minister Foley also attended the St Patrick’s Day ball in the Intercontinental Hotel, a key event for the London-Irish community.
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