Cork County Council delegation head to US for Patrick’s Day festivities

A 15-strong delegation from Cork County Council, as well as other Cork representatives, will this week head to the US for a 12-day visit — which includes official events in Chicago, Detroit, and New York — at a total cost of more than €36,400.

Six councillors, led by mayor Joe Carroll, will go to the US along with nine officials, for a trip divided into sections with not all members of the delegation in the US for the entirety of the 12-day trip.

The €36,405.68 cost of the trip comprises of €17,189.40 for flights and €19,216.28 for accommodation.

Mr Carroll heads to New York on Friday next, and he will be the guest of honour at Saturday’s County Cork Benevolent, Patriotic and Protective Association annual St Patrick’s Day dinner.

He will be joined by county solicitor Orla Deasy and senior executive officer Karina Cremin for the New York section of his trip before he departs for Chicago on March 10.

He returns to New York for the St Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16, where he will be joined by former mayor Frank O’Flynn. The visit to Chicago’s Cook County, which is twinned with Cork, is the centre piece of the trip.

It is to the Windy City that the largest delegation will be travelling. Mr Carroll will be joined in Chicago by three council colleagues on Wednesday, March 12, as well as a four strong delegation of officials led by council CEO Moira Murrell.

The councillors travelling include Deirdre O’Brien and Deirdre Kelly, of Fianna Fáil, and Fine Gael’s Michael Hegarty.

Other participants in the trip, for the Chicago leg, include UCC president John O’Halloran; Mary Rose Stafford, the head of School of Business Munster Technological University; and representatives of the Irish Hotels Federation Cork branch — including president Michael Magner.

On Friday, the delegation will attend an early morning breakfast with the Irish American Partnership and Visit Cork; and the Irish Hotels Federation’s Cork branch will host a lunch. The Chicago River will be dyed green on Saturday, and other events include a Mass at old St Patrick’s Church as well as the parade. The delegation will depart the city on Sunday.

The third leg of the trip will see another former mayor, Independent councillor Mary Linehan Foley, and Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley travel to Detroit on Thursday, March 13. That evening, they — along with divisional manager Niall Healy and senior staff officer Mags Donovan — will be the guests of the United Irish Societies. A plaque will be unveiled at Michigan Central train station, located in the aptly named Corktown, honouring the Irish people who travelled to Detroit. The delegation heads home on Monday.