Louth well represented at New York St. Patrick's Day events

It was an opportunity to advance Louth’s economic, tourist and business interests as representatives from across the county joined the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in New York last week.

The Louth delegation included An Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Cllr. Conor Keelan as first citizen of Louth, Cllr. Kevin Meenan, Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District, Cllr. Michelle Hall, Mayor of Drogheda, and Cllr. Paula Butterly, Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District.

Louth County Council officials, Director of Service, Joe McGuinness and Thomas McEvoy, Director of Service, also joined the delegation.

The visit was a fantastic opportunity to strengthen existing ties and to represent Louth in the world famous New York St. Patricks Day parade, where Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Conor Keelan was invited by the County Louth Society of New York to lead the County Louth delegation.

“It was a great honour to lead the Louth parade on St. Patrick’s Day in New York, and to represent the county at a series of meetings to explore Louth’s strategic position on the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor,” said the Cathaoirleach.

Representatives from Louth met with amongst others, the IDA, Tourism Ireland, the Irish Consulate, and Enterprise Ireland to discuss issues ranging from the development of Louth’s digital infrastructure, and work on the Shared Ireland Fund with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council,  Louth as an integral part of Ireland’s Ancient East, along with the opportunities to develop the Louth, Down and Armagh region as a ‘Destination of Excellence’ for activity tourism.

Also on the agenda were significant infrastructure projects, including the Narrow Water Bridge, and the Carlingford Greenway.

The visit was an ideal opportunity to promote Drogheda, Boyne Valley,  and the Ardee and mid Louth areas as a valuable tourism destination for the American market.  Strong assets such as the county’s rich heritage, coastline, golf clubs, night life, festivals, and its ease of proximity to Dublin were all highlighted.

In addition the trip helped put Louth on the map during meetings with Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fergal Mythen, and at an event organised by the Irish Consulate Office, where Micheál Martin, Tánaiste was the guest speaker.

Louth-delegation visit Tourism IrelandCathaoirleach leads St. Patrick's Day paradeLouth delegation meet Ireland's Ambassador to UN