Edmonton’s Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce
the Driving Force Behind Irish Trade Mission
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
 GROUP photo at the Edmonton Irish Club: (L-R) [TOP ROW] Pat Larkin, Susan McKenna and Anne Webb. [BOTTOM ROW] Martin Doyle (president of the Irish Sports and Social Society Edmonton) and Her Excellency Mary Coughlan T.D. (Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment), Ann Jones, Doodie Cahill ((Honorary IConsul of Ireland for Alberta - Edmonton), Stephen McElhatton, Jenny McKearney, Bill Morris (past-president), Kimberley Budd (secretary Irish Sports and Social Society and vice-chair Wolfe Tones), and his Excellency the Irish Ambassador to Canada Declan Kelly. |
 THE TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan presenting a cheque for $10,000 to Martin Doyle the president of the Irish Sports and Social Society of Edmonton on behalf of the Edmonton Chapter of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce. She led a trade delegation to Canada on October 18-21. |
 HER EXCELLENCY Mary Coughlan T.D., Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with His Excellency Declan Kelly the Ambassador of Ireland to Canada. |
 TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan with Irish dancers from the Knock School and Mattierin School of Irish Dance at the Edmonton Irish Club. Standing on the far right is club president Martin Doyle. |
 MOIRA QUIRKE (organizer for the Edmonton Rose of Tralee) with daughter and Edmonton Rose Katherine Quirke. |
EDMONTON – Her Excellency Mary Coughlan, T.D. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ireland, along with a trade delegation organized by Enterprise Ireland, were in Edmonton from October 18 and 19.
After attending a gala reception at the Edmonton Irish club on the evening of October 18, the Tánaiste had a private early morning meeting with the Premier of Alberta, Ed Stelmach and government officials.
Afterwards, Coughlan said, “I’m taken with Alberta’s vision of looking outwardly and being open to change, new markets and new technology, which parallels Ireland’s vision. And there are huge mutual opportunities. We can learn from each other.”
The Tánaiste then attended a 7:30 AM breakfast at Government House, which was given by the Honourable Doug Horner, M.L.A. Minister of Advanced Education and Technology Government of the Province of Alberta, and at noon, she attended a luncheon at the Hotel Macdonald, which was given in her honour by Enterprise Ireland.
Yours truly was privileged to attend the small intimate breakfast at Government House and also the luncheon. Before the luncheon at the Hotel Macdonald, The Celtic Connection was given time for an interview with the Tánaiste.
It was a sumptuous breakfast menu at Government House. Before the breakfast, Horner, welcomed the Tánaiste to Alberta and said that there were some half a million who claim Irish ancestry living in Alberta.
The Tánaiste then addressed Ministers of the Alberta Government who were able to attend and invited guests. She once again stressed the benefits of Canadian companies doing business with Irish companies and spoke of the excellent educational system in Ireland that has invested in people, skills and education. She also said that Irish companies have become leaner, meaner and very nimble to compete globally.
Government House is a beautiful historic building with a checkered past. Built in 1913, it served as the official residence of the province’s Lieutenant Governor.
It was closed in 1938 and uninhabited until 1942, when it was leased to Northwest Airlines who used it as offices and residences for U.S. pilots in transit to the construction of the Alaska Highway.
From 1944 to 1950, it served as a convalescent hospital for wounded Second World War veterans and from 1951 to 1964 as a home for disabled veterans.
In 1964, Government House was returned to the provincial government with extensive renovations completed in 1976. Today, the Alberta government uses Government House for official functions, special conferences, government committee meetings and similar events.
The last stop on Her Excellency’s whirlwind visit to Edmonton was a luncheon at the historic Hotel Macdonald. This grand old hotel was named after Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.
Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, introduced the Irish Deputy Prime Minister at the luncheon, where once again, Coughlan reiterated that working with Irish companies can be a big stepping stone to the huge European Union trading bloc for Alberta entrepreneurs. She also said that she sees more co-operation between universities and government departments such as agriculture.
At the luncheon, The Edmonton Chapter of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce, asked the Tánaiste on their behalf to present the first cheque for $43,000 from The Wild Geese Endowment Fund to Dr. Gregory Taylor, the Dean of the Faculty of Science University of Alberta.
Colm O’Carroll, the president of the Edmonton Chapter of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the board decided two years ago to set-up the endowment fund after O’Carroll had attended a reception in Toronto for President Mary McAleese.
“At that reception,” O’Carroll said, “the President made a request that the Irish diaspora send their educated children back to Ireland for post-doctorate studies. I felt that if we were going to get the Chamber going in Edmonton, then we needed a focus and if we were going to have a ball, then it would be profitable if we had a fundraiser around it. So, we came up with the Wild Geese Endowment Fund.”
The University of Alberta will do the critiquing of the applicants. O’Carroll said their preference is towards graduate students but they will accept undergraduates who want to study in any discipline at any of the universities in either North or South Ireland.
Speaking about how successful the trade mission was in Alberta, O’Carroll said, “I think it was quite good and I know that some of the companies that came from Ireland signed contracts here in Alberta. We know that some of these contracts were pending and trade missions are always a focus to sign them.
“My main reason for getting the trade mission here was for the Tánaiste to invite our Premier to visit Ireland, and that has been done, so now the Chamber’s objective will be to put some pressure on the Alberta government to follow through and go and visit Ireland with a trade mission.
“If we can have the Premier lead a trade mission to Ireland, then that opens the door for us to go the next step up to the Taoiseach or the President to come and visit Edmonton.”
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