Peace process to dominate Taoiseach’s US visit
Mr Ahern will spend one night in the Californian hi-tech capital before flying to Washington DC for a hectic round of meetings with congressional leaders. The annual presentation of shamrock to President George W Bush will then take place in the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
Stong trade links between Silicon Valley and Ireland’s technology sector will be at the forefront of the San Jose leg of the trip.
San Jose even boasts its own top honour for people who have played a significant role in the Irish-American relationship.
The Spirit of Ireland award began in 1989 and past winners include Mr Ahern, the SDLP’s John Hume and former US president Bill Clinton.
This year’s winner will be announced at a gala dinner tonight attended by the Taoiseach and Lord Mayor of Dublin Catherine Byrne.
San Jose has organised a variety of events to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning of the cities this week.
The festivities include a joint concert of the Dublin Youth Symphony Orchestra and the San Jose Youth Philharmonic, 12 bouts of amateur boxing between Irish and Californian teams and a traditional Irish breakfast at the Silicon Valley Capital Club to welcome Cllr Byrne and the rest of the delegation. The Taoiseach will meet with the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform when he arrives in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Mr Ahern is expected to strongly press the case for Irish people working illegally in the US when he meets Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill the following day. The stalled Northern peace process will also feature heavily as Dublin looks to American pressure to help resolve the current political stalemate over power sharing and civil policing.
President of the San Jose-Dublin Sister City Committee David Oliver said he had been working on the twinning celebration nearly non-stop since last June.
As well as business opportunities, the twinning has carved strong educational ties between the two cities.
Dublin’s Trinity College, UCD and DCU have close relationships with San Jose state universities and University Santa Clara and, through the San Jose relationship, with the Stanford University.
