Ahern to lay wreath at memorial for firefighters killed on 9/11
Mr Ahern is paying the traditional St Patrick’s Day visit to the US this week, and arrived in New York yesterday.
A Fianna Fáil fundraising event had provisionally been pencilled in for last night, but was cancelled because the necessary paperwork couldn’t be arranged in time.
This morning, Mr Ahern will fulfil a whirlwind schedule of engagements before flying out to Washington DC in the afternoon.
The Taoiseach will begin by attending a business breakfast with members of the financial services industry at 8.15am (12.15pm Irish time).
He will then meet with the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, a group representing the illegal Irish in the US, before visiting the UN secretary-general at UN headquarters.
From there, Mr Ahern will go to the visitors’ centre at the World Trade Centre and lay a wreath at the memorial in honour of firefighters who died on 9/11. Mr Bloomberg is expected to attend the ceremony.
The Taoiseach will then engage in a questions-and-answers session on Northern Ireland, EU and economic issues at the Council on Foreign Relations, the influential think-tank, before giving an interview to the mayor’s TV station, Bloomberg TV.
Mr Ahern is scheduled to leave New York at about 3.30pm (7.30pm Irish) for Washington. There, he will attend a black-tie gala dinner hosted by the American-Ireland Fund, a philanthropic organisation which raises money for good causes in Ireland.
Tomorrow, Mr Ahern will meet with 2008 presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, and attend the traditional Speaker’s Lunch on Capitol Hill, which US President George W Bush is expected to attend.
Mr Ahern will also brief members of the Ireland-US Economic Advisory Board on the situation in Northern Ireland and on the Irish economy.
On Friday, Mr Ahern will attend the White House to present Mr Bush with the customary bowl of shamrock. The ceremony is being held a day early as the White House generally does not schedule events for the weekend.
The two men will meet in the Oval Office to discuss the North, the illegal Irish, climate change and other issues, according to his staff.
The Taoiseach will leave Washington for home on Friday afternoon.
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