Canadian Prime Minister set to arrive at two Irish locations in official visit

Mr Carney will be meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin next week, marking the first bilateral visit to Ireland by a Canadian PM in nearly a decade.

The PM will subsequently travel to Mayo and meet with President Catherine Connolly.

Mr Carney has Irish roots, as his two grandparents left Aughagower, near Westport, more than 100 years ago and headed to Canada.

According to the PM’s office, Mr Carney will be focusing on deepening Canada and Ireland’s longstanding "cultural and people-to-people" ties during the visit.

He will also look to expand relationships across agri-food, digital innovation, AI, pharmaceuticals and climate.

In a statement, An Taoiseach said he is looking forward to meeting Mr Carney, adding that he is "proud of his Irish heritage".

"We will be discussing ways to strengthen our bilateral relations even further," Mr Martin said.

"Canada is an important economic partner for Ireland, with strong trade in goods and services in both directions. CETA is close to be being fully ratified by the Oireachtas, so this is an ideal time to explore further options for economic cooperation across a range of sectors.

"We will also discuss global issues including the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine. Canada and Ireland have an excellent working relationship on the global stage and, as we face many geopolitical challenges, it is important that we work closely together to support peaceful resolutions."

Last year, bilateral merchant trade between Canada and Ireland rose to $6billion, as Canadian exports to Ireland were valued at $1.1billion and imports at $4.9billion.

Mr Carney was elected as PM last year in a historic vote, with the Chairperson of the Ireland-Canada Business Association hailing the win as very positive for Ireland at the time.

He earned 86% of the ballots cast to beat former finance minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest that saw just under 152,000 party members vote.

Mr Carney’s landslide victory was seen as a surprise as he had no elected office experience, though the election primarily fixated on who could best handle Donald Trump.

Following the trip to Ireland, Mr Carney will then travel to France to participate in the 2026 G7 Leaders’ summit.

Micheál Martin and several ministers were due to travel to Canada in April on a significant trade mission, though it was cancelled due to fuel price protests across Ireland.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.