Consulate General of Ireland

Newsletter for the U.S. Southeast

February 2017

www.dfa.ie/irish-consulate/atlanta

[email protected]

Monarch Plaza, Suite 260,

3414 Peachtree Road NE

Atlanta, GA 30326

Tel: +1-404-554-4980

Fax: +1-678-235-2201

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Message from the Consul General

A chairde,

I am proud of the fact that Irish investment in the U.S. Southeast is

surging, demonstrating the reciprocal nature of our commercial

relationship with this great country.

Dublin-based Sysnet Global Solutions, a leading provider of cybersecurity

and compliance solutions to the payments industry, has just announced

that it will create more than 500 jobs and put $2million into a local contact

center in Dekalb County, Georgia.

This follows hot on the heels of Voxpro’s establishment of a new U.S. hub

in Athens, Georgia, late last year with an investment of $4million in a new

centre of excellence and more than 500 jobs by 2020. Voxpro is Ireland’s

largest international provider of customer experience and technical

support solutions.

In January I also had an opportunity to visit two other great Irish

companies Mergon Corporation and E+I Engineering Corp that have their

local U.S. HQs in Anderson, South Carolina. Mergon, state of the art

innovators in plastics, already employ over 260 people in Anderson and

are expanding. E+I Engineering, who provide exceptional switchgear &

power distribution systems to data centres and other major clients, now

employ over 150 and are on track to build on this dramatically in the next

few years.

These investments are just individual examples of a larger pattern that has

seen significant numbers of indigenous Irish companies setting up opera-

tions in the U.S. Most of these companies are building on established

customer relationships with U.S. firms that were initially forged in Ireland.

It is my impression that in many of these cases, our firms’ American

customers have actively encouraged them to set up here because of the

quality, adaptability and unique Irish approach that they offer.

Is mise le meas,

Shane Stephens

Irish Business and Culture Around the Southeast

Two great Irish manufacturing firms with US

headquarters in Anderson, South Carolina, a

stone’s throw from Clemson University

The E&I Engineering team with

Operations Director Paul Connolly

Consul General Stephens with Mergon

General Manager Nate Dingus

and Sales VP Chris Wilson

Consul General Stephens addressed Clemson staff

and students on “Ireland, the European Union and

Football Diplomacy”.

Constructive meetings with Provost

Robert Jones and Vice Provost for

Global Engagement, Sharon Nagy

Waterford Institute Technology President Willie Donnelly and TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin

sign cooperative Memorandum of Understanding accompanied by students and faculty headed to

Ireland in March.

CG Stephens attended

the inspiring Martin

Luther King Day

Commemoration at

Ebenezer Baptist Church

in Atlanta.

Great discussion on

Ireland & EU with

Mike McCarthy

and other senior

executives at CNN

World Headquarters

Consul General Stephens was honored to

meet Ambassador Andrew Young for a

conversation on commerce and diplomacy.

Very productive coordination meeting at the Consulate with representatives of Irish organizations in

Atlanta including Arís Theatre, the Atlanta St Patrick Parade team, Clan na Gael, Gateway Performance

Productions, the Hibernian Benevolent Society, the Irish Chamber, IrishFest and Irish Network.

Irish News

Mr Charlie Flanagan, T.D., Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, has just completed a packed

three day programme of high level political meetings, engagements with the Irish community and business

meetings supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Washington. His discussions dealt with issues including

ongoing US support for the Peace Process; Ireland’s approach to Brexit; the prospects for immigration

reform, as well as concerns with regard to recent immigration related measures announced by the US; and

economic links between Ireland and the US. His op-ed in the Independent.ie explores Ireland’s unique

relationship with the U.S. which, he noted, “runs deeper than politics.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May to Ireland on 30 January for a Summit

meeting to exchange views on issues including developments in Northern Ireland, the UK/Ireland Joint

Work Programme and key bilateral interests in the context of Brexit. Following PM May’s January 17

speech, the Government issued a statement on Brexit.

In an address to EU Ambassadors, Minister Flanagan underlined the importance of the British market for

Irish companies and concluded “The UK will remain our closest neighbour, and the European Union will

remain our political and economic home.”

Fresh elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly will take place on March 2 and Michelle O’Neill has 
replaced Martin McGuinness as the leader of Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Minister Flanagan 
made a full statement on these and related developments before our Seanad on January 26.  
On January 29, the Tánaiste and Minister Flanagan attended our national Holocaust Memorial 
Commemoration. Minister Flanagan read from the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on 
the Holocaust. Here in Atlanta, CG Stephens attended the Am Yisrael Chai Fortitude and Endurance 
holocaust memorial lecture one week earlier.  
Ireland maintained its impressive position as the best country in the Eurozone for doing business in the 
Forbes magazine rankings in 2016, coming in overall 4th in the world.  Our GDP is forecast to grow by 3.5% in 
2017 following strong growth of 4.2% in 2016. Our unemployment rate in December 2016 was 7.2%, down 
from a peak of 15% in 2012 and well below the Eurozone average. 
Our capacities as an international financial service hub were highlighted during the European Financial Forum 
held in Dublin on January 24. At the session, the Taoiseach announced that Ireland’s financial services sector 
is “Brexit-ready”.  
Enterprise Ireland, the Government agency responsible for developing Irish business globally, exceeded its 
3-year (2014-2016) job creation target with 45,000 new jobs and aims for 60,000 in its 2017-2020 Strategy.  
Minister Flanagan criticized recent announcements by Israeli authorities of further settlement construction 
in the occupied Palestinian Territories. 
Passport Service customer service enhancements, including an enhanced on-line application tracking 
service as well as a web-chat social media service to facilitate real- time communication between the 
Passport Service and passport applicants have been announced.   
We were delighted to hear the news of this year’s Irish Oscar nominees: Ruth Negga in the category of Best 
Actress in a Leading Role for Loving, Consolata Boyle for Best Costume Design for Florence Foster Jenkins, 
and the Irish Film Board supported film, The Lobster, for Best Original Screenplay.  
Irish author Sebastian Barry also made headlines, winning the 2016 Costa Book of the Year award for his 
novel Days Without End. 
Expressing pride in introducing to his audience “the greatest team dancers in the world,” Michael Flatley’s 
Lord of the Dance troupe performed at the inaugural ball for President Trump. 
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys launched the 
Creative Ireland Programme / Clár Éire Ildánach at the Irish Consulate in New York. In addition, she unveiled 
details of Culture Ireland’s US programme for 2017 which, in total, will provide €1m to Irish artists to 
showcase their work in the United States throughout 2017.  These include performances in the Southeast 
by The Outside Track (details below), McPeake and Mairtin O’Connor Trio (tour schedules forthcoming). 
 
Upcoming Events in the Southeast 
The College of Charleston’s impressive Irish lecture series will kick off at 7pm on February 3
rd
 with Ireland on 
Screen a lecture by University of Notre Dame Professor Briona Nic Dhiarmada – writer and producer of 1916 
The Irish Rebellion. It will continue with History and Destiny in the Making of Ireland’s Spiritual Empire 
(February 23), a lecture by Galway native Irene Whelan at Addlestone Library; and The Real St. Patrick (March 
9) a lecture by Belmont Abbey College’s Patrick Wadden at Addlestone Library. 

The first annual Lowcountry Irish Fest takes place February 11-12 at the Omar Shrine Convention Center in 
Mt. Pleasant, SC, near Charleston, in cooperation with The Charleston Irish Historical Society, The Ancient 
Order of Hibernians, College of Charleston Irish Studies and The Hibernian Society. This family friendly musical 
and cultural festival is celebrating all things uniquely Irish in the South Carolina Lowcountry.  
 
The South Florida Irish American Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring a high level Winter Business Lunch 
on Friday 17
th
 in Palm Beach, Florida with guest speaker Kieran McLoughlin, President and CEO of The 
Worldwide Ireland Funds. 
 
Clan na nGael GAA Club Atlanta will host clubs from the Southeast and New York to play in the first official 
Youth Gaelic football tournament on Feb 25 from 1pm to 3pm at Agnes Scott College, 141 E College Ave, 
Decatur, GA 30030.   
The 2017 Hibernian Benevolent Society of Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Ball, in partnership with Irish Network 
Atlanta, will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 6:30 pm at the Ansley Golf Club. Click this link for tickets. 
The US tour of Irish band The Outside Track includes 3 performances in the Southeast: Jacksonville, FL (March 
4, Mudville and March 5, Cullane’s Irish Pub), and Savannah, GA (March 11, Tara Feis). 
Atlanta’s annual Father Thomas O’Reilly ceremony will be held on March 10 at 1:00 pm at City Hall following 
Mass at 12:10 pm at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 
Nashville will host its 3
rd
 annual Music City Irish Fest, a 17-day city-wide celebration of Irish culture March 1-
17, including world-class Irish bands Altan and The Chieftans, film festival, storytelling, theatre, hurling 
demonstrations. 
 
While details are still emerging on regional St. Patrick’s Day events, the links below take you to information on 
some great Parades. The Savannah Parade will be city’s 193
rd
. The Atlanta parade will be number 135.   
 
March 11: Atlanta   Fort Lauderdale   Huntsville   Tallahassee 
 
March 17: Savannah    Charleston 
 
March 18: Charlotte 
On March 11 in Atlanta Gateway Performance Productions will present The Daughters of Ireland in America, a 
tribute to Irish and Irish American women writers (details to follow) 
On March 17
th
 at 10:30 am Atlanta’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass will be held at Cathedral of Christ the King  
The University of Georgia’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts will welcome three outstanding figures in 
Irish culture to their campus for a St Patrick’s Day programme on March 15-17. For details click here. 
 
Mar 15, 6:30pm:  Screening of the film adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn, with reception & book signing 
Mar 16, 3:30pm:  Tóibín reading and talk followed by book signing 
Mar 17, 7:00pm:  Public conversation with Tóibín and leading Irish writer/editor Fintan O’Toole followed by a 
performance by the outstanding Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. 
 
Arís Theatre presents Celtic Shorts on Tuesday, March 21 at Atlanta’s Shakespeare Tavern, a sampler of four 
plays from source countries of the theatre’s literary inspiration: Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England. 
 