St Patrick's Day provides politicians with an opportunity to sell NI brand

BELFAST BRIEFING:BUSINESSES IN Northern Ireland will next week be faced with the annual quandary of whether they should shut up shop and celebrate St Patrick's Day or just open as usual, writes FRANCESS MC DONNELL

St Patrick's Day is a bank holiday in the North - not an official public holiday - so while some people will take time off, for others it will be a case of business as usual. And, while many people will enjoy the opportunity to take part in a series of events which are being held across the North to mark St Patrick's Day, employers have no legal obligation to let people take the day off.

Northern Ireland enjoys two extra bank holidays compared to the rest of the UK - St Patrick's Day and Orangeman's Day.

Regardless of personal political allegiances, as long as employers are willing, people in the North can take time off work to celebrate both as they see fit.

St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth of July bank holidays still inevitably provoke strong, sometimes negative associations.

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the Belfast Agreementand, this year, Belfast City Council is promising a St Patrick's Day parade and concert which will deliver a carnival atmosphere for all the family. Ten years ago a St Patrick's Day parade through Belfast would have been seen as a contentious issue and would have attracted unionist objections.

But Belfast and Northern Ireland has come a long way in a relatively short space of time.

This year the celebrations take place against the backdrop of a devolved government which recognises the importance of creating events that appeal to both sides of the community.

Belfast will host one of the biggest St Patrick's Day events with a "Shamrock and the Storm" carnival parade which boasts some 500 participants.

The potential economic contribution this will make to Belfast should not be underestimated.

Thousands of people are expected to converge on the city and retailers are predicting it could be one of the busiest days of the year.

This new approach to celebrating St Patrick's Day puts political differences to one side. It does not mean everyone in Northern Ireland wants to celebrate Ireland's national saint's day but it does show a willingness to consider diversity. It mirrors what is going on across the North.

That is why the North's Economy Minister, Nigel Dodds, is heading to the US again this week. It is also why the North's Finance Minister, Peter Robinson, is coming under pressure to attend St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has already confirmed he is travelling to the White House.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has said he has asked Ministers travelling to the US next week to make investing in Northern Ireland and in an all-island economy a key part of their message to the US business community.

The run-up to St Patrick's Day in the US presents a hugely important opportunity for the North's politicians to promote the US/NI Investment Conference which will take place in May.

The announcement by the North's First Minister, the Rev Ian Paisley, that he intends to step down from the post after the conference has caused a ripple of unease in some quarters among those organising the event.

Paisley's and McGuinness's good working relationship was one of the success stories promoted in America during their joint trip last December and it appears Americans bought into it.

But there has been mixed US reaction to the conference which will promote the investment opportunities which now exist in Northern Ireland.

Invest NI, the economic development agency, says more than 20 senior US chief executives have already signed up to the event.

Initially it had been hoped the US/NI conference would attract up to 50 influential business people, but it is unlikely that it will secure these numbers given the current uneasy state of the American economy.

Most businesspeople in the North agree the timing of the event is disastrous and senior industry and government sources point to a "hard sell" taking place behind the scenes to ensure the conference is a success.

Local businesses in the North are being invited to sponsor the event, but some have declined because they feel it is "too expensive" and are worried about negative publicity if the conference does not live up to expectations.

Dodds remains convinced: "The Executive is committed to building a vibrant, dynamic and outward looking economy and is determined to seize the unique opportunity in May to help deliver a better future for all."

He says he is travelling to Washington and New York from March 12th-14th to take part in a number of meetings and interviews during which he will encourage participation in the conference.

Dodds said: "This is an excellent platform to inform a targeted business audience, that Northern Ireland is open for business. The US/NI Investment conference, on May 7th to 9th, is an ideal opportunity for top US companies to see at first hand what Northern Ireland has to offer."

Perhaps he would do well to remember the advice of one of the world's richest men, Warren Buffett.

"In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windscreen."