Thank you to the Atlanta community for providing a warm welcome to Taoiseach Brian Cowen during his visit to Atlanta on July 14th and his introduction of Atlanta's new Consul General, Paul Gleeson.
A link to GlobalAtlanta's coverage of the luncheon with the
Prime Minister can be found here. In addition, Kevin Conboy's introductory remarks from the luncheon can be viewed below.
A big thank you to our sponsors for this historic event:
Tourism Ireland
Fado Pubs
Ciaran Morris/PWC
IDA Ireland
Redquartz Atlanta
Photos from the event may be purchased directly by request to: tjhart@hartografie.com
REMARKS OF KEVIN CONBOY, PRESIDENT, IRISH CHAMBER OF
ATLANTA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT TO ATLANTA OF BRIAN COWEN, TAOISEACH OF IRELAND, TO INTRODUCE PAUL GLEESON AS
NEW CONSUL GENERAL OF IRELAND.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Ritz Carlton – Downtown Atlanta
GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND WELCOME.
I AM KEVIN CONBOY, PRESIDENT OF THE ATLANTA CHAPTER OF THE IRISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. WE ARE PROUD TO HOST, ALONG WITH THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, TODAY’S LUNCHEON FOR THE TAOISEACH OF IRELAND, BRIAN COWEN.
IT IS A GREAT DAY FOR THE IRISH, FOR IRISH-AMERICANS, FOR ATLANTA, FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA AND FOR THE SOUTHEAST, AS WE WELCOME FOR THE FIRST TIME A SITTING PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. IN SOME RESPECTS, TODAY IS A CULMINATION OF YEARS OF EFFORT BY MANY HERE IN ATLANTA – DON KEOUGH, DICK STORMONT, IRIAL FINAN, DAVE FITZGERALD, MONSIGNOR DILLON, NEVILLE ISDELL, JIM FLANNERY AND NUMEROUS OTHERS – TO STRENGTEN TIES BETWEEN IRELAND AND ATLANTA AND THE SOUTHEAST. IN OTHER RESPECTS, TODAY IS NOT A CULMINATION SO MUCH AS IT IS JUST A SINGLE BIG STEP. WE ARE NOW ON THE MAP, AN IMPORTANT POINT OF CONTACT FOR OUR FRIENDS IN IRELAND; WE NEED TO MOVE NEXT TO A LEVEL OF RECOGNITION SO THAT WHEN THE IRISH THINK OF THE UNITED STATES, THEY THINK OF NY, BOSTON, PHILLY, CHICAGO AND ATLANTA. WELCOME, PRIME MINISTER COWEN.
BEFORE I INTRODUCE PRIME MINISTER COWEN, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR SPONSORS. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK TOURISM IRELAND FOR SPONSORING THIS EVENT. WHILE TOURISM IRELAND COULD NOT SEND A REPRESENTATIVE, EACH SEAT CONTAINS BOTH A FLYER ON A NEW “FLY AND DRIVE PACKAGE TO IRELAND FROM $499”, AND A TOURISM IRELAND PIN. TOURISM IRELAND HAS STRESSED TO ME THE IMPORTANCE OF ATLANTA AS A MAJOR GATEWAY MARKET FOR IRISH TOURISM, AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR SUPPORT FOR THE DIRECT AIR SERVICE TO IRELAND BY DELTA AIR LINES. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK FADO, AN UPSCALE IRISH PUB RESTAURANT GROUP BASED HERE IN ATLANTA, WHICH IS IRISH AND AMERICAN OWNED. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK REDQUARTZ FOR ITS SUPPORT. REDQUARTZ IS A PROPERTY AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY BASED HERE IN ATLANTA, WITH INVESTORS BOTH HERE AND IN IRELAND. FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AND CIARAN MORRIS, FORMERLY OF IDA IRELAND, AS WELL AS MY LAW FIRM, PAUL, HASTINGS, JANOFSKY & WALKER, FOR THEIR IMPORTANT SUPPORT FOR THIS EVENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING PERSONS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOR PURCHASING TABLES HERE TODAY: FIRST, IRELAND’S LARGEST COMPANY, CRH/OLDCASTLE; MONSIGNOR EDWARD DILLON, PASTOR OF HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC CHURCH; CIARAN MORRIS AND PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS; FADO AND REDQUARTZ; AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IDA IRELAND, AND BERNARD SMITH AND IVAN HOULIHAN, WHO ARE WITH IDA HERE IN ATLANTA. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DISTINGUISHED GUESTS HERE TODAY, AND I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE NEXT SEVERAL MINUTES TO INTRODUCE THEM TO YOU. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CAN STAY A FEW MINUTES PAST OUR 1:30 CLOSE, THIS WILL FACILITATE INTRODUCTIONS.
FIRST, OUR WARM WELCOME TO THE IRISH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES, MICHAEL COLLINS, WHO SPOKE TO OUR IRISH CHAMBER AT A LUNCHEON EARLIER THIS YEAR. ALSO FROM THE PRIME MINISTER’S TRAVELING GROUP IS BREANDON O’CAOLLAI, DEPUTY CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK. BREANDON HAS BEEN A GREAT FRIEND OF US AND OUR EFFORTS HERE IN ATLANTA OVER THE YEARS, AND WE WISH HIM WELL AS HIS TOUR OF DUTY IN THE UNITED STATES COMES TO AN END. PAUL GLEESON, OUR FUTURE CONSUL GENERAL IN ATLANTA, IS OF COURSE HERE TODAY.
MIKE McGOVERN, WHO IS PART OF THE ECONOMIC ADVISORY GROUP FOR THE TAOISEACH, IS ALSO HERE.
THARON JOHNSON, SENIOR ADVISOR TO MAYOR KASIM REED, IS HERE WITH US TODAY. WELCOME, THARON.
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR CONSULAR CORPS HERE TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME:
· ANNABELLE MALINS, HER MAJESTY’S CONSUL GENERAL, BRITISH CONSULATE GENERAL HERE IN ATLANTA;
· PASCAL LE DEUNFF, CONSUL GENERAL OF FRANCE;
· GEORGE NOVAK, HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC; AND
· WINSTON CHUNG, TECO DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL OFFICE.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SEVERAL OF OUR PRIOR SPEAKERS; WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE THEM HERE TODAY. THESE PAST SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
· BERNIE MULLIN, CEO OF THE ASPIRE GROUP;
· SAM WILLIAMS OF THE METRO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; AND
· PROFESSOR JEFF ROSENSWEIG OF EMORY UNIVERSITY.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO WELCOME MEMBERS OF OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND OTHERS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE IRISH CHAMBER, INCLUDING KIF CAHILLANE, CHARLES McNAIR, BILL TUCKER, JIM FLANNERY, BRIAN GANNON, JOHN O’NEILL, MICHAEL HANLON (ALSO OF REDQUARTZ), AND MIKE FITZGERALD.
LIKEWISE, WE HAVE GUESTS HERE WHO HAVE, OVER THE YEARS, MADE THE ATLANTA ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE A GREAT EVENT, INCLUDING DICK STORMONT, MONSIGNOR DILLON, PAUL BRESLIN, RYAN CURRY, CECE MILES AND OF COURSE NANCY LOGUE AND ED MORAN. PAUL BRESLIN ALSO SERVES AS CHAIR OF THE SHAMROCK SOCIETY. WELCOME ALL.
OTHER PROMINENT IRISH ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR LEADERS HERE TODAY INCLUDE BOB O’NEIL, PRESIDENT OF THE HIBERNIAN BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ATLANTA, AND KEVIN QUIRK, PRESIDENT OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE HIBERNIANS. JOHN FALSTAFF IS ALSO HERE, HOST OF THE LONG-RUNNING CELTIC RADIO SHOW ON WRFG RADIO.
I APOLOGIZE FOR OMITTING SO MANY OTHER NOTABLES IN OUR IRISH COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES HERE FROM THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING BOARD MEMBERS LARRY HUTCHESON AND SAM WAY.
ALSO WITH US TODAY ARE DUIRMOND O’SULLIVAN AND MARGARET SHANNON, REPRESENTING THE IRISH SOCIETY OF CHARLOTTE, WHO HAVE TRAVELED FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO WELCOME THE TAOISEACH AND OUR NEW CONSUL GENERAL TO ATLANTA AND THE SOUTHEAST.
IN ADDITION TO SAM WILLIAMS, CEO OF THE METRO ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK JORGE FERNANDEZ, HANS GANT AND KAREN HOLLADAY FOR JOINING US TODAY AND CO-SPONSORING THIS EVENT. I ALSO WELCOME LAUREN SALAS AND ALISON STARNES OF THE GWINNETT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
IT IS NOW MY PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE TAOISEACH OF IRELAND, MR. BRIAN COWEN.
· PRIME MINISTER COWEN WAS ELECTED TO THE DAIL IN JUNE 1984.
· HE SERVED AS MINISTER FOR LABOUR FROM FEBRUARY 1992 TO JANUARY 1993.
· HE SERVED AS MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT, ENERGY AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM JANUARY 1993 TO DECEMBER 1994.
· HE THEN SERVED AS MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND CHILDREN FROM JUNE OF 1997 TO JANUARY 2000.
· NEXT, PRIME MINISTER COWEN SERVED AS MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM JANUARY 2000 TO SEPTEMBER 2004. AND
· HE THEN SERVED AS MINISTER FOR FINANCE, BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER 2004.
HE ASSUMED THE ROLE OF PRIME MINISTER IN MAY OF LAST YEAR, FACING ISSUES AS DAUNTING AS ANY THAT HAVE FACED A TAOISEACH IN 25 YEARS.
PRIME MINISTER COWEN WAS EDUCATED AT CLARA NATIONAL SCHOOL, SISTERCIAN COLLEGE, AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IN DUBLIN. HE IS A SOLICITOR, MARRIED TO MARY MALLOY, HAS TWO DAUGHTERS AND SPENDS HIS FREE TIME AT HOME IN OFFALY. WE ARE PROUD THAT ATLANTA FOR THE FIRST TIME HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME A SITTING PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. PRIME MINISTER COWEN.
CONGRATULATIONS TO KEVIN CONBOY
In September 2009, ICCUSA Atlanta President Kevin Conboy was honored to join a group of Irish leaders who attended a meeting in New York with Prime Minister Brian Cowen. The meeting was part of a conference to advice the Minister on what could be done to help the Irish government in formulating a response to the recession. The meeting preceded a larger reception for the Prime Minister at the American Irish Historical Society in New York, which Mr. Conboy attended. Mr. Conboy was also invited to join the Irish American Leadership Council. It has been a busy fall!
ICCUSA-Atlanta President Kevin Conboy with Prime Minister Brian Cowen
