Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his attendance at a Good Friday Agreement 25 event with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13509/23]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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84. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will a report on his recent visit to New York; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13638/23]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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90. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement he will have on his St. Patrick's day visit to the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13390/23]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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105. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has considered plans for an official event to mark the 60th anniversary of the visit of President John F Kennedy to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13208/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 83, 84, 90 and 105 together.

Every year, St Patrick’s Day celebrations provide the Government with a unique opportunity to engage with Heads of State and Government, senior politicians, business leaders, civic organisations, and the media right across the globe. It also gives us a unique opportunity to connect with and advocate on behalf of the many Irish people living abroad as well as promote the country.

This year, I travelled to the United States from the 13th to the 19th of March, and undertook a comprehensive programme of engagements in New York and Boston. The visit was a very valuable opportunity to promote Ireland’s interests in the United States, meet with political, business, sporting and community leaders, and to deepen the political, economic and cultural links between our two countries.

While in New York, I addressed the National Committee on American Foreign Policy to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. I spoke with Secretary Hillary Clinton, who was presented with an award in recognition of her invaluable and longstanding support for Northern Ireland. What was clear to me at that event, and indeed throughout my programme in the United States, was the continued importance placed by the American people and leadership on the Good Friday Agreement and the need to protect the gains of the peace process.

Deputies will be aware of debate around advertisements placed in American newspapers. At this moment of acute political sensitivity it is important to recall the fundamentally important role played by the United States as an honest and impartial broker that is trusted by all sides and that has always been a driver of the peace process. Time and time again they have brought people together when the political process in Northern Ireland has required support. And, I know that they can be counted on for support in the future. While everyone is of course free to make the case for the constitutional future that they desire, it is important that in doing so we consider our immediate and collective responsibility to put the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement on the soundest possible footing.

While in New York, I met with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, as well as with Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed. In these meetings, I expressed appreciation for their cooperation and support during Ireland’s term on the UN Security Council, and reiterated our ongoing deep commitment to the UN and the multilateral system. I also reaffirmed Ireland’s leading role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals as a co-facilitator of the SDG Summit to be held this September.

I was also pleased to visit Boston, a city with a large and vibrant Irish-American population. I spoke at an event hosted by the John F Kennedy Presidential Library to mark the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland this year. That historic visit in June 1963, the first by a sitting American President, had a profound impact on this country and has come to symbolise the deep and enduring connection between Ireland and the United States. Further engagements, to mark this event in Ireland in June, are currently under consideration.

Finally, during my time in the United States last week, I had the opportunity to meet Congressman Richie Neal, who has been steadfast in his support for Irish issues, not least in his capacity as Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland. While visiting his home district for the famous Holyoke St Patrick’s Day parade, we had a broad-ranging discussion covering Northern Ireland and the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, US immigration reform and Ireland-US bilateral relations.