Irish Consul General in New York Noel Kilkenny has been announced as the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the New York State Economic Development Council. The annual event runs from May 22-24 in Saratoga Springs.

Executive director of the group Brian McMahon spoke about the strong business ties between New York and Ireland.

"The connection is pretty self-evident," McMahon told Biz Blog. "There are a number of New York-based companies doing a lot of business in Ireland. And a lot of their growth is occurring by or through American companies."

Kilkenny hails from Kilrush, Co. Clare. His diplomatic career has brought him all over the world, including various stints in Holland, China, Washington, D.C., Bosnia, London, Estonia and Moldova, and many years in between in Dublin.

Other keynote speakers include E.J. McMahon, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute’s Empire Center for New York State Policy and  Bill Hammond, member of the Editorial Board for the NY Daily News.