Martin launches Global Irish Network in London

THE potential commercial benefits of such areas as education and the arts are to be examined in the coming months by the new Global Irish Network, set up after last year’s Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh House.

The network, viewed as an additional resource for the promotion of Ireland in international markets, was officially launched yesterday by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin at the Irish embassy in London. At the launch, Minister Martin revealed that 280 internationally-based influential Irish-linked individuals have signed up to the network, a number of whom attended yesterday’s ceremony, including Peter Sutherland, Balderton Capital’s Barry Maloney; Selfridges (London) chief Paul Kelly; Basil Geoghegan of Deutsche Bank and Conor Foley, chairman of the Irish International Business Network.

The informal launch was proceeded by the first private meeting of the British-based members of the network. Prior to that meeting, Goldman Sachs chairman, Peter Sutherland gave his support to the network idea by saying it “will ensure that [Irish people] are better connected to each other and will collectively strengthen Ireland as a business brand”.

Mr Martin said: “The Farmleigh forum marked an important step in the evolution of a modern and strategic relationship between Ireland and the global Irish. Through our embassies, the Emigrant Support Programme, St Patrick’s Day visits abroad and other channels of engagement, I believe that this relationship will continue to prosper in a way that takes advantage of new methods of communication.”

He added that more regional Irish networks, in such places as the US and Asia, will be developed in the coming months and large-scale think-ins will be held regularly on differing topics at Farmleigh, including one later this year aimed at mining ideas from Ireland’s young graduates. The British division of the network, meanwhile, will meet on an annual basis.

Areas such as how Ireland can generate more revenue from education (not just from language teaching but also from areas like nursing and healthcare) and the implementation of a graduate overseas programme, supporting third-level graduates studying overseas will be examined at future meetings.