February Newsletter
News About Ireland
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, launched “The Global Island: Ireland’s Foreign Policy for a Changing World”. Ireland now has 80 diplomatic & consular offices around the world, including here in the US in Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and (as of last summer) Austin.
Ireland’s Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, wrote an opinion piece for The Irish Times on how Ireland’s strategy for dealing with its banks is working.
The IDA, Ireland’s foreign direct investment agency, announced a 20% increase in investment projects into Ireland in 2014 in comparison to 2013. Leading investors into Ireland in 2014 included Amazon, LinkedIn, Survey Monkey and Johnson & Johnson.
Applications for funding under the Irish government’s Emigrant Support Programme are now open and will be accepted until February 25. The programme has assisted more than 400 organisations in 26 countries over the last decade.
The government has also announced the wording for Ireland’s marriage equality referendum, which will take place in May.
Global Atlanta spoke to Dave Fitzgerald, chairman of the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade, about featuring on a list of the top 100 Irish-American business leaders.
The longtime Atlanta-based Irish musician JJ Sheridan died at the age of 63. JJ was a graduate of The Royal Irish Academy of Music and a highly accomplished pianist. His obituary is available online.
Dublin was named the second best city in the world – and the best city in Europe - for Americans to live.
And NPR took a look at how the beauty of the night sky over Kerry has become the first Northern hemisphere vista to receive gold tier recognition from the International Dark-Sky Association!
Upcoming Events
Acclaimed Belfast photographer Paul Seawright will deliver a talk – “Things Left Unsaid” – at the University of Georgia in Athens at 4pm on Thursday, February 5, as part of the Global Georgia Initiative. Admission is free; you can find out more at their website. The visit is supported by the Consulate and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Irish people and people of Irish descent in Atlanta interested in joining an Irish Network are invited to a social event and meeting at Rí Rá in Midtown from 9.30am on Saturday, February 7, to coincide with the Italy-Ireland Six Nations Rugby game.
The Irish and Irish American Studies programme at the College of Charleston will help launch a biography of Bishop Patrick Lynch on Wednesday, February 11, at 7pm.
The American Ireland Fund and the Ireland-US Council will host their annual Florida meetings in Palm Beach on Thursday, February 12, and Friday, February 13, respectively. The keynote address at the Ireland-US Council luncheon will be delivered by Ireland’s Ambassador to the US, Anne Anderson.
The Savannah Irish Festival will take place over the weekend of February 13-15; more info on performers and what to expect at this major event in the cultural calendar is also available.
Author Tom Chaffin will speak about his new book “Giant’s Causeway: Frederick Douglass’s Irish Odyssey and the Making of an American Visionary” at the Atlanta History Center at 8pm on Wednesday, February 18. You can reserve your tickets online [link no longer available] and listen to Tom’s interview on Morning Ireland about the book.
St. Peter Claver Catholic Parish & School in Macon, Georgia, will host an Irish Night on Friday, February 27, at 8pm, featuring musician and singer Harry O’Donoghue.
The Hibernian Benevolent Society of Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Ball will take place on Saturday, February 28, at Druid Hills Golf Club from 6.30pm. Capacity is limited for this very popular event, so visit their website to reserve your place [link no longer available].
The International Meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS) will take place this year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida over March 25-28 and will be hosted by the University of Miami. You can register to attend and find out more on their website.
If there are Irish events you’d like us to highlight in future newsletters, please let us know by contacting us.
Consulate General of Ireland
Monarch Plaza, Suite 260,
3414 Peachtree Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30326.
https://www.dfa.ie/irish-consulate/atlanta/
Follow us on Twitter @IrelandAtlanta
February 2015