Burke highlights strong US ties after St Patrick’s Day visit to New York
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke has said his St Patrick’s Day visit to New York was a busy and productive week focused on strengthening economic ties between Ireland and the United States.
The Mullingar TD was in the US from March 11 to 18, undertaking 49 engagements across business, political and community sectors aimed at promoting Ireland’s economic message and deepening relationships with key partners.
Business engagement was a central focus of the visit, with meetings involving major international firms, including BlackRock, JP Morgan and SMBC.
The programme featured Enterprise Ireland events supporting Irish companies expanding in the US market, as well as contract signings and investment announcements involving Irish businesses.
On March 16, Minister Burke joined a delegation to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to mark Ireland Day, highlighting the strength of the Ireland-US relationship - with Ireland now the fifth largest source of foreign direct investment into the US.
The visit also included meetings with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Among the highlights, Minister Burke took part in the New York City St Patrick’s Day Parade, attended the ‘greening’ of the Empire State Building initiative, and visited Irish American communities in the Bronx and Yonkers, meeting organisations providing support to the diaspora.
Speaking after the visit, Minister Burke said it had been an “exceptionally busy and productive week”.
“This was an exceptionally busy and productive week with 49 engagements across business, political and community sectors, all focused on strengthening the relationship between Ireland and the United States,” he said.
“A key priority was promoting Ireland’s economic message. Through meetings with major US companies, investment discussions and supporting Irish firms expanding here, we are continuing to build a relationship that delivers real jobs and opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on St Patrick’s Day was a proud moment to highlight Ireland’s position as a major investor in the US.
“It was also a real highlight to meet so many people from Mullingar and across Westmeath who are doing exceptionally well in the United States. Their success is a credit to where they come from.
“Now that I am back home, I look forward to continuing to represent the people of Westmeath in the heart of government.”