Lord Mayor's Diary: Comings and goings enlarge Cork’s role on the world stage

Representing Cork to the wider world is one of the greater privileges of being the Lord Mayor.

Cork has a number of important relationships with sister cities in China, the US, France, Germany, and the UK.

Many representatives of Shanghai, San Francisco, Rennes, Cologne, Coventry, and Swansea come to Cork, and it is part of my role to meet with them. It has been an honour to do so.

I have been surprised, but perhaps should not have been, by the number of people from other countries who come to Cork.

Many delegations have visited City Hall.

Several have come from China, many with medical expertise, examining what we do well here and what they do there from which we could learn.

I have also been honoured to meet with economic and academic representatives from San Francisco.

And Cork representatives in international settings also come to City Hall.

Sporting groups and cultural groups give a taste of Cork to our sister cities, where they always receive a warm welcome.

Strongest advocates

Meeting them before they visit these places is a huge privilege.

These are our strongest advocates.

It has not only been from our sister cities that they have come to Cork. Several ambassadors have come to visit Cork or have come to the City Hall.

I have been privileged to meet with the Chinese ambassador, with the Japanese ambassador, the Mexican ambassador, and with the ambassador from Malta, and, this week, with the ambassador from Moldova.

Recent gatherings have been to strengthen economic ties.

Examples would be those organised by the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce and by American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.

Honoured

Other guests want to come to visit Cork city from many other parts of the globe.

I have been honoured to receive the mayor of Munich, and the lord mayor of Niagara on the Lake in Canada.

Several organisations host groups from many countries, and it is my task to greet them.

Most come to Cork, but we also go to these places.

Deputy Lord Mayor Honore Kamegni represented the city with distinction on a recent visit to Coventry, the first city with which Cork was twinned.

Next weekend I’m looking forward to meeting the Cork Association in London.

Before that, I am going to Brussels to speak at a seminar on the importance of the tech sector to our economy. My experience to date, as Lord Mayor, is that our international connections bring more people to Cork than Cork people go elsewhere.

Both sets of journeys enrich us all. 

The world has become a smaller place, but these exchanges are helping Cork become a bigger and more respected part of the world.