Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together.

The questions relate to two separate visits to the United States so far this year. Two relate to the St. Patrick's week visit to the United States, two relate to a further visit to the United States, and three are general in respect of visits to the United States.

In March, I made a brief visit to Washington DC for the annual St. Patrick's Day programme. On 17 May, I returned to Washington for a programme of events to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. My visit to the United States for the St. Patrick's Day period was shorter than usual this year given the political circumstances here at the time and the fact that there was a European Council meeting in Brussels that same week. The focus of my brief visit was on high-level political engagements that form part of the traditional St. Patrick's Day programme in Washington DC. I am pleased the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, was able to attend a number of important business-related events in Washington. My engagements with political leaders included talks with President Obama in the White House and a breakfast meeting with Vice President Biden. I presented President Obama with the traditional gift of a bowl of shamrock at the White House St. Patrick's Day reception. On Capitol Hill, I met the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Paul Ryan, in addition to a number of other congressional leaders. I attended the traditional Speaker's lunch. I also attended an Irish embassy reception attended by representatives of the Irish-American community in addition to business, political and cultural figures.

In my meetings with political leaders, I focused on a range of issues, such as Ireland–US bilateral relations, immigration reform and the forthcoming referendum in the United Kingdom on EU membership. In my remarks at the White House, Capitol Hill, the Vice President's official residence and the Irish embassy reception, I highlighted the strength of Ireland's economy and Ireland–US trade, the important role played by the United States in the Northern Ireland peace process, the need to continue to press for action on immigration reform and the programme of 1916 Rising commemorations in the United States.

I travelled to Washington again on Tuesday, 17 May to participate in a range of events planned to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising. That evening, I was pleased to join Vice President Biden to open formally the festival IRELAND 100: Celebrating the Centenary of Irish Arts and Culture at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This is a three week long festival of Irish theatre, music, dance and literature. It forms the centrepiece of the Government's programme of more than 250 events in the United States commemorating the 1916 Rising.

The following day I attended a number of official events to mark the 1916 Rising and the role of Irish-America therein. I was honoured to be invited to plant an Irish oak tree on the grounds of the United States Congress at Capitol Hill to mark this centenary. I spoke at a reception hosted by Malin plc, a supporter of the IRELAND 100 festival, attended by representatives from the business, political and arts communities. I then visited the Library of Congress to view items from its collections related to the Rising. I also had the opportunity to visit the Newseum, an institution dedicated to promoting freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Later I attended a reception in the National Statutory Hall of the US Capitol building to celebrate Ireland–US relations in this year, the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. I departed Washington on Wednesday evening.

Over the course of a short but busy programme, I had informal encounters with a small number of elected officials, congressional leaders and Representatives. Our discussions were brief and generally focused on the commemorative events. The issue of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership did not substantively arise in discussions on either short trip. In spite of the brevity of both visits, they were successful in further developing the strong political and cultural links between Ireland and the United States and promoting Ireland's priorities with the US Administration.

See this speech in context