Global Irish Parliamentarians
Gather in Dublin

In September, 44 political representatives with Irish connections from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and France convened in Dublin for the first-ever Global Irish Parliamentarians’ Forum, hosted by Minister for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan. The forum was established to foster Ireland’s relationship with its diaspora and included briefings on Ireland’s economic development and 1916 commemorations. Among the American participants were Congressman Richard Neal (D – MA), all of whose grandparents were born in Ireland and who has been a friend of the peace process his entire congressional career, and Congressman Brendan Boyle (D – PA), the only member of the House of Representatives with an Irish-born parent. ♦