DAYLIGHT: Derry Delegation Receives Fantastic New York Welcome at The New York Yacht Club on June 16, 2016! Thank You Tourism Ireland; Whom You Know Is Honored to Work with You.
From left to right
John Fitzpatrick, President, Fitzpatrick Hotel Group
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston – Founder of the Clipper Race
Alison Metcalfe – Executive Vice President, Tourism Ireland U.S.
Alderman Hilary McClintock – Mayor of Derry, Northern Ireland
Fionnula Flanagan – Actor
Billy Carter - Actor
Andrea Houghian – Vice President Business Development, Invest Northern Ireland
Norman Houston – Director, Northern Ireland Bureau
A special delegation of leading local government and business figures from the North West of Ireland flew into New York last week to engage with corporate and cultural organisations to further strengthen business and civic relations. Thank you to Tourism Ireland for including us. Whom You Know was honored to attend the luncheon at The New York Yacht Club on June 16, 2016.
The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Hilary McClintock, whom we were delighted to meet, led the delegation who enjoyed a series of high-profile engagements during the five-day visit. Leading regional business development agency Invest Northern Ireland’s NW manager Des Gartland traveled with the group to discuss the growth of the local economy and potential benefits for international investors interested in the region.
Two local companies attended as part of the delegation, with the opportunity to establish new trading opportunities for exports and services and develop relationships with potential investors in the US. Joanne Doherty, founder of cultural gift company Piecemakers, which offers a range of bespoke heritage based pieces created using the latest laser technology, and Troy Armour, entrepreneur and founder of the Patral Group which includes a range of companies such as Trojan Technologies, youth fashion company Junk Kouture and creative digital agency Wurkhouse, attended a series of engagements and networking opportunities on the trip.
The group also greeted the crew of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race as they stopped off in New York before their Trans-Atlantic journey to Derry next month, where they will be welcomed during the Foyle Maritime Festival.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the Mayor said she was looking forward to enjoying a warm US welcome and further strengthening connections between the two cities based on shared cultural and economic interests.
“We have already established strong links with New York on previous visits and I look forward to reaffirming these relations during our engagements, which include meetings with key members of both the business and cultural communities,” she said.
“The Clipper Race stopover events present a great opportunity for us to celebrate our historical connections, and are symbolic in that so many many of our citizens made the epic ocean voyage to seek out new lives in the US."
“I’m particularly looking forward to catching up with the Derry~Londonderry~Doire crew who have been so successful in the race challenges to date. The team is expecting a huge welcome on arrival in New York, with many family and friends and a large number of Irish Diaspora travelling to the stopover location to welcome the team into port.”
During the visit, the North West delegation attended a series of meetings geared towards generating and strengthening existing investment and trade links. The Mayor addressed a keynote lunch event hosted by Invest NI, Tourism Ireland and the NI Bureau to mark the race stopover and promote the North West as a first class visitor destination, as well as a positive and progressive base to do global business.
The shared histories of Derry and New York was a strong focus of the trip, and Derry Genealogist Brian Mitchell gave a number of talks on local ancestry highlighting the strong historic ties between the North West and the New York Diaspora. Brian examined passenger records and traced the paths of families from Ireland who set off into the unknown to become part of the success story of New York.
The trip also included a visit to the New York Irish Centre where the Mayor of Derry and Strabane launched the ‘Derry’s of the World’ exhibition exploring the city’s legacy in other locations across the world which have adopted the same name.
“I hope to engage with lots of people with a connection to the North West – it’s a great opportunity for us to encourage people in New York to come to Derry and find out more about our shared culture and history,” she stressed. “And if anyone is still planning their holidays for the summer, of course the Foyle Maritime Festival celebrations provide the perfect opportunity to showcase the region and the positive change which has revitalized the city and the district."
“I hope to further develop the relationships already established with the Diaspora in New York to ensure they continue to act as ambassadors for the city and region and help promote what we have to offer,” she added.
The delegation arrived in New York on June 15th, and returned to Ireland on June 20th. The Foyle Maritime Festival is scheduled to take place on 09-17 July 2016. The full festival programme is expected to be officially launched in the coming days and will be available at www.foylemaritimefestival.com
Delegation background information
The delegation
included the following persons:
· Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Hilary McClintock
· Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council, John Kelpie
· Director of Business and Culture, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Stephen Gillespie
· Head of Culture, DCSDC, Aeidin McCarter
· Genealogist Brian Mitchell
· Des Gartland, North West Manager of Invest NI
· Joanne Doherty – Piecemakers
· Troy Armour – Patral Group
The Clipper Round the World 15-16 Race will arrive in Derry~Londonderry in and around 09 July and will attract sailing enthusiasts and visitors from across Ireland and the UK.
One of the five bursary Derry City and Strabane District Council winners, youth worker Danny Bryce, will join the Derry~Londonderry~Doire crew in New York for the next stage of their journey to Derry.
