GOVERNMENT MINISTERS attending international events to mark St Patrick’s Day will be promoting trade, investment and tourism, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said yesterday.
Speaking in Edenderry, Co Offaly, Mr Cowen said the focus of Ministers and Ministers of State would be on “promoting the positives of Ireland” while abroad on the national day.
“We’ll be out there with a very strong message of what’s happening in the country, promoting the positives and doing what we can to help people who are exporting and people who are trading in these markets.
“That’s the best way in which we can protect jobs at home and create new ones into the future,” said the Taoiseach.
Mr Cowen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will be in Washington for St Patrick’s Day, while nine other Ministers, 11 Ministers of State and the Attorney General will also travel abroad to represent Ireland on the day.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan will be the most senior member of Government remaining in Ireland in the period around the national day.
The leader of the Green Party and Minister for the Environment John Gormley will also stay in Ireland.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan will travel to Germany for engagements in Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf.
The Irish Hotels Federation said it welcomed what it described as the Government’s “continued commitment to maximise St Patrick’s Day as a platform internationally to highlight Ireland as a destination to visit”.
Federation president Paul Gallagher said Mr Cowen was right to continue to send Ministers abroad despite the impact of the economic downturn.
“Members of the Irish Cabinet meeting the highest state leaders across the world during the St Patrick’s Day programme generates massive publicity for our country that you simply couldn’t buy,” Mr Gallagher said.