CONFIRMED: Five Waterford delegates to travel to Boston to mark St. Patrick’s Day
Waterford City and County Council has said the trip will go ahead, despite concerns over the Trump administration
Five Waterford City and County Council delegates will travel to Boston to mark St. Patrick’s Day this year.
Waterford Live understands that the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, and the Mayor of the Metropolitan District, Cllr Adam Wyse, will both travel to Boston.
They will be joined by Independent councillor Joe Kelly, Chief Executive Sean McKeown and Senior Executive Officer Honor Dunphy.
A council spokesperson said that the itinerary for the trip has yet to be finalised. However, they emphasised the importance of the trip.
They stated: “The St. Patrick’s Day visit provides an invaluable opportunity to connect with those spearheading the Irish business, enterprise and academic communities in Boston.”
The statement went on to describe some of the highlights of last year’s trip to the States.
“Last year, meetings were held over four days with the Consul General of Ireland in Boston to celebrate the strong and enduring links between Ireland and the US.
“A meeting with IDA Boston provided a valuable opportunity to showcase Waterford’s robust tech, pharma, life sciences and manufacturing sectors, and underline what Waterford has to offer to US companies in terms of world-class talent, infrastructure, quality of life and support networks.
“A meeting with the Provost of Boston College focused on the many sweeping changes that have occurred in Ireland over the past quarter of a century.”
The Waterford delegates will visit Boston from March 11 to March 16. Director of Services Ivan Grimes previously told council members that the tickets for the flights have been booked.
His comments came in response to concerns raised by Sinn Féin councillor John Hearne over the decision to travel to the United States.
Cllr Hearne argued that the council should reconsider travelling to the country this March, given the actions of US President Donald Trump.
Fianna Fáil councillors Jason Murphy and Adam Wyse rebuked these comments, emphasising the importance of the trip.