Offaly extends a warm welcome to the Ambassador of Canada

THE Leas-Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Sean O’Brien was honoured to officially welcome the Ambassador of Canada, His Excellency Dennis King, to Áras an Chontae, marking a significant moment in strengthening international relationships and promoting economic, cultural, and educational collaboration between Offaly and Canada.

During the visit, Mr Ambassador, accompanied by Deputy Tony McCormack TD, met with Chief Executive of Offaly County Council Eoghan Ryan, representatives from the Council’s Management team, Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District of Tullamore, Cllr Declan Harvey, and Cllr Shane Murray.

His Excellency was briefed on how Offaly has a dynamic role as a centre of innovation, green energy generation and enterprise. Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllr O’Brien spoke of the excellent quality of life, numerous tourism assets and highlight how Offaly offers exceptional work life balance thanks to its connectivity to both national and international markets.

With strong links to national and local technological universities, the county draws on a deep pool of talent across engineering, technology, green energy, as well as med-tech industry.

Offaly’s reputation for innovation was a central theme of the visit as Mr Ryan shared feedback from the recent Green Energy Conference hosted by the Council and the Local Enterprise Office Offaly team which boasted over 180 attendees in green related industry.

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Director of Services Andrew Murray outlined the role which Offaly is playing in the area of Green Energy generation, advising of a renewable electricity potential pipeline of 2 gigawatts and setting this in the context of the all-time Irish system demand of approximately 6 gigawatts. He also updated the meeting on the Rhode Green Energy Park, developed by Offaly County Council in recent years and the recent national policy on Large Energy Users and Green Energy Parks.

Deputy McCormack advised the collaborative approach which Offaly has with industry, training, and government make it an attractive place to work and live in, further advising that an invitation can be extended to any Canadian business who is considering having an Irish base should visit Offaly first. Offaly’s thriving business environment, underpinned by a skilled and adaptable workforce and the numerous supports available from and programmes delivered by Local Enterprise Office Offaly also add to the attractive location for any foreign direct investment.

Attendees were united in their views that exchanges such as this visit provide valuable opportunities to explore new avenues of cooperation in trade, tourism, cultural exchange, and innovation. Offaly County Council extends its sincere appreciation to His Excellency Dennis King for his visit and looks forward to further developing connections between Offaly and Canada.

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