RSS
News


Home Page > News > President Obama pledges to strengthen economic links with Ireland

Blogs


comment on article 3 Comments
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

President Obama pledges to strengthen economic links with Ireland

By
DONAL THORNTON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, March 18, 2010, 7:51 AM
Updated Thursday, March 18, 2010, 5:21 PM

 

Bookmark and Share

President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama has promised to closely analyze and explore the possibilities of improving economic investment between the U.S. and Ireland.

Obama and Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen discussed issues surrounding Ireland's economy and the Northern Irish peace process when they met yesterday.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the talks Obama said: "On both sides of the Atlantic we are seeing stabilization of the economy, but obviously we want more than just stabilization.

“There are a lot of people out there that are still hurting, still out of work. And so we will continue to co-ordinate in internationally as well as bilaterally to see how we can spur investment and private sector growth on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Cowen said he hoped the resurgent US economy would indicate a return to prosperity in Ireland.

"How we can ensure that our economies recover as quickly as possible is something that’s very important to both our countries. And certainly in Ireland’s context, the resurgent US economy will be a strong indicator of our return to prosperity,” said Cowen.

Obama also expressed his gratitude towards Ireland for agreeing to send several members of the Irish police force to Afghanistan to help police training there.

Obama also thanked the 36 million strong Irish American community for shaping America's culture and political economy.

"America has been shaped culturally, politically, economically by the incredible contributions of Irish Americans."

The President took a moment to remind everyone that his Irish rots come from the Taoiseach’s native county.

 "I’ve got the Taoiseach here to vouch for me. My first thought was, ‘Why didn’t anyone discover this when I was running for office in Chicago?’ I would have gotten here sooner," he said.

Obama also thanked Cowen for allowing US troops to use Shannon airport as a stopover on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cowen then said on behalf of the people of Ireland they were “deeply grateful for the continuing and deep commitment shown by the Obama administration” to the North.

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


3 Comments

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.
Report abuse
Posted by TexasGal on Mar 24, 2010, 03:56 PM EDT
shake hands with the DEVIL look at American I didn't vote for the jeck but alot did and now we all are going to pay the price. He is a lier
Report abuse
Posted by rcrdskpr@aol.com on Mar 19, 2010, 05:29 PM EDT
beware the bog man
Report abuse
Posted by McNabb1966 on Mar 18, 2010, 07:53 PM EDT
Obama also took Cowen on his very first snipe hunt. Cowen may still be sitting out there, waiting. Send Biden to go check on him. And then the VP can further console the taoiseach on his dear, departed mother...
 


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.
IrishCentral Mobile QR code


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password