EXPENSES-PAID TRIPS:THE US is the most popular destination for county councillors travelling outside Ireland on official expenses-paid trips to celebrate St Patrick's Day.
At least 38 councillors or council officials are representing local authorities overseas during the festivities.
Meath County Council is sending six councillors abroad, more than any other, for St Patrick’s Day events. Four are travelling to New York and two to London at an estimated cost of €9,000.
Not all councils provided a breakdown of the cost of trips. Some provided details of the numbers travelling only.
In a statement, Meath County Council said it made provision for such events when drawing up its budget last year.
“In adopting the budget for 2009 the council made financial provision of €10,000 for foreign travel in the context of an overall budget of €98 million.
This figure is in line with the budget for 2009.
“At the February council meeting the elected members unanimously adopted a recommendation from the protocol committee to send a delegation of councillors to New York and London.
“Those travelling will represent all the elected members of Meath County Council. Councillors work throughout the year representing the people of Meath and St Patrick’s Day is an ideal opportunity for them to support our emigrants and to recognise the work of the Meath associations,” the statement noted.
Sligo County Council is sending three councillors to events in Chicago, Oklahoma and Tallahassee, Florida. Nine local authorities are sending no councillors in an official capacity, including the four councils in Dublin.
Only a few councillors are attending St Patrick’s Day events in Britain in an official capacity. They include Limerick County Council cathaoirleach David Naughton, who spent the weekend in Birmingham. He was joined by colleague Cllr Francis Foley who funded his own flight.
Despite the small number of councillors travelling to St Patrick’s Day events in Britain, the chief executive of the Federation of Irish Societies there, Jenny McShannon, says her organisation is satisfied with the level of interest being shown towards expatriates by politicians in Ireland.
“We know that a lot of councillors support their own county associations and that they generally fund their own trips. But the small number that are coming here for St Patrick’s Day is not a matter of huge concern.
“We recently had three or four members of the Foreign Affairs select committee over here to look at what’s being done and how the emigrant support programme is working. The most important thing for us is that contact is being maintained,” she said.
Ms McShannon also said that improvements in communications technology meant the Irish in Britain “are not as disconnected as they once were”.
Two counties not sending any councillors abroad for St Patrick’s Day are Galway and Mayo, in spite of the fact that emigrants from the west make up a large proportion of the Irish diaspora.
A spokeswoman for Galway County Council said in its case no money was put aside for overseas trips this year.
Mayor of Donegal Brendan Byrne has said he will pay his own travel expenses for a trip to the US after Donegal County Council refused to sanction the cost.
Following the vote on February 22nd last, an irate Mr Byrne said he and deputy mayor Charlie McConalogue would cover their own expenses of €3,500-€4,000 each for trips to New York and Chicago for meetings with the respective Donegal Associations.
It is the first time in 25 years the council will not be paying for the traditional St Patrick’s Day trip by council representatives.