Economic Development \ Economic activity and assistance \ Newry/US links

Overview

Newry and indeed Newry and Mourne enjoys excellent economic links with the United States of America. The Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership detailed below has played a significant role in the economic regeneration of the Newry area. In addition, the International Fund for Ireland of which the US government is a major contributor, has made a major impact on the socio-economic profile of the Newry & Mourne area as highlighted in Section 22 of this Database. Newry has other formal links with America in the form of the Down/Chicago Pittsburgh Trade Missions to and from New Hampshire, formal links with Montana and links between Newry Chamber of Commerce and Burlington in Vermont USA. Further details on some of these links are provided in the following sub-sections. Enterprise Newry recently hosted the new US Consul General to Northern Ireland, Ms. Jane "Ki" Fort to a presentation on the Newry Business Opportunity on 13 November 1998.

Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership

The Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership, a joint-venture between Enterprise Newry Ltd and the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh (IIP) was formed in Autumn 1990 to encourage corporate interests in Pittsburgh to consider Newry as a potential location for international investment and entry to the European Market. The joint directors of the Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership are Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon, Member of Parliament for Newry and Armagh and Mr Dan Rooney, President of Pittsburgh Steelers Sports Inc, who has family links with Newry. As a result of the Partnership a number of initiatives have developed. The IIP operates under its dynamic President Sr. Michele O'Leary and Enterprise Newry is headed up by local Newry businessman Jack O'Hare and its Group Innovator Feargal McCormack.

Considerable progress in developing contacts and relationships between Newry and Pittsburgh have been achieved. Five Pittsburgh Trade Missions have been organised from Pittsburgh to Newry. Over 150 teenagers from the Newry and Mourne area have visited the Pittsburgh area under the IFI Wider Horizons project where they underwent an extensive educational programme and benefited from job related training in a variety of companies in the Pittsburgh area.

In addition the Rooney Fellowship discussed later in this Database has proved to be an excellent success and Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership played a significant role in the planning and co-ordination of the first Newry/Dundalk International Business Conference "Investing in Peace" held on Friday 9 June 1995, which was widely acclaimed as an excellent success. The Conference speakers included the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Sir Patrick Mayhew, Mr Richard Bruton, Minister for Trade in RoI, Jean Kennedy Smith, the US Ambassador to Ireland, Dr. A.J. O'Reilly, Chief Executive Heinz Inc., Mr Dan Rooney, Mr Seamus Mallon MP, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, Reverend John Dunlop, Senior representatives from the European Commission in London, Belfast and Dublin.

A very successful Economic Conference hosted by the US Department of Commerce took place in Pittsburgh on 6-8 October 1996. This conference represented a further boost for the Newry Pittsburgh Partnership and the speakers included Dr Tony O'Reilly, Baroness Jean Denton, then Minister for the Economy, Sir Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the US Commerce Secretary, and Mr Dick Spring, then Tanaiste in the Republic of Ireland. The IIP supported by Enterprise Newry played a pivotal role in securing the Pittsburgh location for this Conference.

A further development of the Pittsburgh/Newry Partnership took place in June 1997 when the Pennsylvania Business Matchmaker Trade Mission visited Newry and Ireland.

In addition, a Newry/Pittsburgh Business Function was organised in Dublin to coincide with the visit of the Pittsburgh Steelers to Croke Park, Dublin in July 1997. Pittsburgh Steelers President Dan Rooney is the Joint Director of the Newry Pittsburgh Partnership.

Sr. Michele O'Leary was chosen to be the Grand Marshall at the 1998 St. Patrick's Day parade in Pittsburgh, the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade in America. This was a great honour for Sr. Michele and reflected exceptionally well on the Newry/Pittsburgh partnership.

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh which promotes international understanding between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, and promotes economic development throughout Ireland co-ordinated at twelve hours notice a very successful and well attended Evening Prayer service on Easter Monday 13 April 1998, in the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh in support of the political agreement reached in Northern Ireland on Good Friday.

Mr Seamus Mallon MP and Deputy First Minister along with Mr David Trimble First Minister were hosted by Mr Dan Rooney and the Pittsburg/Newry Partnership in October 1995.

Furthermore, a very successful Trade Mission from Newry & Mourne organised by Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency and Newry and Mourne District Council visited Pittsburgh from 28 - 30 October 1998.

The Newry/Pittsburgh Partnership played a pivotal role in the Newry/Dundalk Cross Border Business Dinner held in the Canal Court Hotel on 17 February 1999. The Guest Speaker at the event was Mr James M. Lyons, Special Adviser to the US President and the US Secretary of State for Economic Initiatives in Ireland. The event was unique as it was the first time on the island of Ireland that the Ambassadors of the United States of America to the Court of St. James and Ireland were present at an official function. The special guests at the event hosted by Mr Seamus Mallon MP were:

• The Honourable Michael J. Sullivan, Ambassador of United States of America to the Republic of Ireland;
• The Honourable Philip Lader, Ambassador of United States of America to the Court of St. James;
• Mrs Denise Holt, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy, Dublin;
• Ms Jane Benton Fort, Consul General of the United States of America to Northern Ireland;
• Mr Ted McConnell, The Canadian Observer to the International Fund for Ireland; and
• Dr. Michael Woods TD, Minister for the Marine and National Resources.

During the course of the evening there was a satellite link between Seamus Mallon in Newry and Dan Rooney and Sr. Michele O'Leary in Pittsburgh.

Down Chicago Partnership

A number of Newry companies participated in the very successful Trade Mission from County Down to Chicago in June 1993. Participating companies from Newry & Mourne included Dr. Michelle McCormack, Music & Technology; Martin Crilly, IDS Marketing; Donal Cooper, Compete Software; Marian McParland, Toughglass.

Newry Montana Links

Mr Brendan Curran, Chairman of Newry & Mourne District Council, along with Economic Development Officer, Mr Edwin Curtis, led a delegation from Newry to the Montana region in October 1998. As a result a number of formal links have been established between businesses in the Newry area and Montana, between the local District Council and the World Centre of Montana, between Montana University and Newry & Kilkeel Institute of Further and Higher Education and rural development links between Montana and South Armagh and South Down. The Secretary of State for Montana is keen to develop formal economic and tourism links between Montana and Newry & Mourne and these are currently being developed between Newry & Mourne District Council and the governing bodies in Montana.

New Hampshire Trade Mission

Enterprise Newry hosted a Trade Mission from the state of New Hampshire on 3 November 1998. This Trade Mission followed a previous Trade Mission involving Newry companies to New Hampshire. The visit of the New Hampshire delegation which included senior representatives 'of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development is expected to result in formal partnerships between Newry & Mourne District Council and the State of New Hampshire and also between businesses operating in Newry and Mourne and the State of New Hampshire.

Newry/Burlington Link

For some time, Newry Chamber of Commerce has carried out exchange visits with Burlington and Vermont to establish trading links between the Newry & Mourne area and Burlington. These links have been complemented by visits of Newry & Mourne District Council to Burlington and vice versa.