Cork delegation to boost links in San Francisco

CITY Hall officials will this week meet with key business leaders and organisations in San Francisco and Silicon Valley in a bid to enhance Cork's overseas profile.

The visits are part of a packed itinerary on a weeklong visit to the US city, with which Cork is twinned. It is an annual tradition which has seen previous Lord Mayors and officials meet with key business heads, including Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald will lead the delegation, which also includes a memorial event at San Francisco City Hall to commemorate Ed Lee, the late Mayor of San Francisco who passed away in December 2017, just three months after a visit to Cork.

Mr Fitzgerald will be joined by members of Cork Chamber, educational bodies in Cork, officials from the Port of Cork, the English Market, Rainbow Cities and a number of Cork-based companies with connections to San Francisco.

The delegation will work through a packed itinerary, beginning with events at San Francisco City Hall on Monday morning, with delegates returning to Cork on Friday 27 April.

The visit is part of the sister-city relationship that was established with San Francisco over 30 years ago.

As part of this drive to further raise Cork’s profile in the United States, the Cork delegation will meet key business leaders and organisations in San Francisco, and in Silicon Valley. The Lord Mayor stressed the potential economic value of the trip.

He said, ”We operate in a competitive global economy, and to attract investment, we need to put our best foot forward and to sell the assets of the City. The strength and diversity of this delegation makes this trip hugely valuable in terms of promoting Cork, and I am looking forward as Lord Mayor to showcasing all that is good in this great city.”

Mr Fitzgerald paid tribute to the work done by Mayor Ed Lee in recent years in enhancing the relationship between Cork and San Francisco.

“I had the great pleasure of meeting with Mayor Lee last year, and I promised him then that I would bring a substantial Cork delegation on a reciprocal visit,” said the Lord Mayor.

“He was great friend of Cork City, and a proud supporter of the Sister City Relationship. It will by great privilege to lead our tributes on what will be a most poignant occasion.”