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Minister McGrath attends American Chamber Thanksgiving Lun

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, T.D., addressed the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland (AmCham) yesterday, as they hosted their 2022 Thanksgiving Lunch in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road.

The Minister was the Guest of Honour at the event, which is vital in supporting the warm relationship between Ireland and the United States, a relationship that the Irish Government is strongly committed to supporting. The relationship has developed over decades and is reflected by the tens of millions of Americans who claim Irish heritage.

The Minister said,

“It is my pleasure to be attending the 2022 American Chamber of Commerce Ireland Thanksgiving Lunch. Ireland and the United States have a long and deep connection with one another, based on close political, cultural, and economic ties. This unique relationship, underpinned by our shared values, must never be taken for granted. 

“Since Ireland opened up its economy in the 1950s and 1960s, US companies have played an enormous role bringing jobs, investment and development to all parts of the country.  Today, 900 US companies currently operate in Ireland directly employing almost 200,000 people and supporting a further 160,000 jobs indirectly. 

“More recently, Irish companies have made a substantial positive impact in the US. This economic interdependency is as important now as it was when the first US company decided to locate here in Ireland.

“I also welcome the AmCham member survey that was published today.  Overall the results of this survey are extremely promising.  94% of respondents said their corporate headquarters have positive view of Ireland. Most importantly in these challenging times, 61% of respondents expect the number of employees in their Irish operations to increase in the next 12 months and a further 35% expect no change.

“I want to commend AmCham for all they do fostering and nurturing this important relationship between our two countries and for organising this wonderful event. I also want to extend our gratitude to IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland for the role they play in attracting investment into Ireland and for Irish companies in the US”. 

The Minister’s full address can be found here https://bit.ly/3icKtih .