Cork's Lord Mayor leading delegation to US with hopes of strengthening city's links ahead of St Patrick's Day

CORK'S Lord Mayor is set to lead a delegation in the US with hopes of strengthening the city's civic, business and tourism links ahead of Saint Patrick's Day.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Colm Kelleher will be joined by representatives of the Recreate Shandon Company to promote the proposed redevelopment of Cork's famous Butter Exchange.

Deputy Lord Mayor and Chair of the Cork City Council Women’s Caucus, Cllr Mary Rose Desmond is also participating in the trip along with Chair of the International Relations and Tourism Strategic Policy Committee, Cllr Derry Canty, Cork City Council Chief Executive Ann Doherty, Cork Chamber Chief Executive and Conor Healy, among others. 

Cllr Kelleher, who will visit New York, Washington D.C. and Cork's twinned city of San Francisco, elaborated on the significance of the trip.

“This trip is aimed at further developing the city’s civic, business and tourism links, promoting the work of Cork City Council’s ground-breaking Women’s Caucus, building key international linkages and supporting Cork’s plans to develop its historical associations with famed writer, orator, suffragist, and abolitionist leader, Frederick Douglass,” he said. “We want to commemorate Douglass’ great work, and that of his family who embodies diversity and inclusion which are amongst Cork City Council’s key values and priorities for the City”.

Another central element of the visit is to build awareness around the planned transformation of one of Cork’s best-known historic buildings, the Butter Exchange into an enterprise exchange for technology and innovation.

On Friday, the Lord Mayor met with Irish Ambassador to the UN, Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador Brian Flynn and the team at the Irish Mission in New York. 

He will also be taking part in the Queens County St Patrick’s Day Parade at Rockaway and attending the County of Cork Association St Patrick’s Day dinner.

A key highlight of the visit is expected to be the Irish flag-raising reception in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day by Franciscan Mayor London N. Breed.

The Lord Mayor is also poised to meet with the Washington DC Mayor, Muriel Bowser.

Cork is twinned with San Francisco and a Sister City Reception hosted at the Consulate offices in the New Ireland House will be attended by the Cork delegation. The Lord Mayor and his delegation will also participate in the city’s St Patrick’s Day Parade.