Minister McGrath begins official visit to Toronto and Chicago for St Patrick’s Day 2023

The Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has begun his St Patrick's Day visit to Toronto and Chicago. During his five day programme, the Minister will undertake a series of engagements coordinated by the local Irish Consulates where he will meet with a wide range of political and business figures, and members of the Irish community. The Minister will also undertake a number of business engagements during his visit in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. Upon conclusion of the programme, Minister McGrath will travel direct to Brussels to attend the March meetings of Eurogroup and ECOFIN.

Speaking in advance of his visit, the Minister said:

"My focus on this St Patrick's Day visit is on strengthening relationships with Irish communities in Canada and in the United States, and celebrating the strong bilateral relationships and deep historical and cultural ties between Ireland and these countries. For St Patrick's Day this year, Ireland is marking 100 years of our global engagement and in particular three major anniversaries: the centenary of Ireland's joining the League of Nations; the fiftieth anniversary of our accession to the then EEC; and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. So it is a pivotal moment to acknowledge and celebrate these anniversaries and the journey of our nation during that time.

I am greatly looking forward to meeting with the Irish communities in Toronto and Chicago, as well as political representatives and business figures, as we come together to celebrate St Patrick's Day in 2023."

ENDS