A Warm Alberta Welcome
in Edmonton for Mary Coughlan
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
 BILL MORRIS with Liam McClellan (Co. Kerry). Bill went to the All Ireland for the first time in 52 years and held the Sam Maguire in Brandon Mountain. He said the feeling was more than he could describe. |
 CINDY HAMILTON with the Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, Steve Conneely (Inisheer) and Ray Hamilton (Meath). |
 SUSAN MCKENNA and Ann Jones, trustees with the Irish Sports and Social Society Edmonton (also known as the backbone of the Irish club). |
 KIMBERLEY BUDD, secretary with the Irish Sports and Social Society and vice-chair of the Wolfe Tones. |
 DR. GABRIEL CAHILL, Doodie Cahill (Honorary Irish Consul for Edmonton) and Karl Gardner (First Secretary with the Embassy of Ireland in Ottawa). |
 MARTIN DOYLE (president of the Irish Sports and Social Society Edmonton) and Anne Webb (social director). |
 TONY (SOCKS) BYRNE with Jennifer Fitzgerald and Chris Whelehan. Tony Byrne (Drogheda) who was the Olympic bronze boxing medalist who won world honours for Ireland in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics. |
On a recent trip to Edmonton, I was fortunate that my visit coincided with a visit by the Tánaiste, Her Excellency Mary Coughlan, T.D., Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ireland on her first official visit to Canada, which started off in Edmonton.
The Tánaiste lead one of the largest ever Irish trade delegations to Canada, with stops in Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto.
The Edmonton Irish Sports and Social Society held a gala reception on October 18 at the Edmonton Irish Club to welcome Coughlan to the capital city of Alberta. This was the first time that such a high ranking Irish government official had ever paid a visit to their club.
When I dropped into the club, it was standing room only with the Edmonton Irish community turning out in strength to welcome the Tánaiste and listen to her speak about the purpose of her first official visit to Canada.
Mary Coughlan is a tall striking woman with a slim build and a warm and welcoming smile. Born in Donegal Town in the south of County Donegal in 1965.
She was educated at the Ursuline Convent in Sligo from 1978 to 1983, and at University College Dublin, graduating with a Social Sciences degree. Coughlan worked for a brief time as a social worker before becoming involved in politics.
Coming from a political family, Coughlan was always interested in politics and was first elected to Dail Eireann as a Fianna Fail TD at the 1987 general election for the Donegal South West constituency.
At the age of 21 years, she was the youngest member of the 25th Dail. Coughlan is not the only member of her family to become politically active. Her uncle, Clement Coughlan was a TD from 1980 until his death in 1983.
Her father, Cathal Coughlan, was a TD from 1983 until he died in 1986. The death of her father resulted in Coughlan being co-opted onto Donegal County Council in 1986 and launching her own political career.
The Tánaiste was extended a warm welcome to the club by president Martin Doyle. After the exuberant applause had died down, Coughlan addressed the gathering and special guests, which included His Excellency the Irish Ambassador to Canada Declan Kelly. A fluent Gaelic speaker, Coughlan spoke first in Irish and then in English.
Having only arrived a few hours earlier, Coughlan spoke about the long journey from Ireland via Chicago to Edmonton. She said many people wouldn’t realize how long the journey takes, but now she could fully understand that when the Irish first arrived in Edmonton...they stayed!
The Tánaiste had the audience guessing for a few minutes, when she said, “on the same flight to Chicago, sitting in the seat ahead of me and being carefully guarded was a very expensive piece of jewellery that is very unique to Ireland.”
Then, she paused and said, “it was the Sam Maguire Cup making a visit to Chicago.” A great cheer went up, especially from the many Wolfe Tone Gaelic football members in the audience.
Speaking about the economy in Ireland, Coughlan said, “economically, it’s tough in Ireland...a global recession. We are paying out more than we are taking in. The Lisbon Treaty has been passed and that’s a good thing, since working with Irish companies can also provide access to the huge European Union trading bloc.”
Accompanying the Tánaiste on her trade visit were 35 Irish companies, who had fanned out across Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto, with contacts to do business with Canadian companies. She said that Irish companies were good companies to do business with and that the Irish workers were well educated and highly skilled.
Mary Coughlan was presented with a gift of an Inukshuk carving by president Martin Doyle and Anne Webb social director.
The Tánaiste was also asked to present a cheque for $10,000 to the Edmonton Irish Sports and Social Society from the Edmonton Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce.
President Martin Doyle accepted the cheque on behalf of the Society.
Club member, Una Brady sang a song entitled, Molly Bawn, a song of emigration, which she dedicated to Mary Coughlan, and Anne Webb sang Come to the Hills in Irish, as the Tánaiste was leaving the club.
The Knock School and Mattierin School of Irish Dance also put on a demonstration of Irish dance for the Tánaiste.
Before departing the club, Mary Coughlan made a point of visiting each of the tables and speaking with the members and the Irish dancers.
The Tánaiste spent two days in Edmonton, and that was no coincidence. Although, it was Enterprise Ireland who organized the trade delegation to Canada, it was Colm O’Carroll the president of the Edmonton chapter of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce, who strongly advocated that the Tánaiste come to Edmonton.
He let it be known in Ireland, that western Canada was often overlooked on previous trade missions to Canada. He pointed out that Alberta, which is the size of Maine with 4.5 million people, was a thriving province loaded with expertise in important sectors such as agriculture, food, high-tech and energy. Coughlan is also of course enterprise, trade and employment minister.
O’Carroll owns Epsilon Chemicals and E-Chem companies that do between $10 and $15 million worth of work annually by solving sanitation, waste-water and maintenance problems. He is also looking at the prospect of opening up a business in Ireland and then into the European market.
The Edmonton Irish Club was built in 1986 by volunteers and is operated by the Irish Sports and Social Society Edmonton.
It is a very unique and busy club in western Canada and is well supported by the members. At the very core of the club is the hospitality and welcome extended by the members to visitors. At the Irish Club in Edmonton you will not remain a stranger for very long.
The club brings in all the GAA and qualifying games live via satellite. There is also a vibrant men and women’s Gaelic football team called the Wolfe Tones. The club has live entertainment on the weekends.
Each year, one lucky young woman is crowned the Edmonton Rose at the club and goes on to represent western Canada at the Rose of Tralee International Festival in Tralee, Ireland.
The Edmonton Irish Sports and Social Club are to be congratulated on the wonderful warm Alberta welcome that they gave to Tánaiste. The members take great pride in their club and the visit by Her Excellency Mary Coughlan to the club, provided a unique opportunity to display their heritage and Irish culture.
Next time you visit Edmonton, drop into the Edmonton Irish Club at 12546 -126th Street, Edmonton, and enjoy some genuine Alberta hospitality. For more information, call: (403) 453-2249, or visit their website: www.irishclub.ca.
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