Connecting It All In Ireland

One of my favorite parts of the trip each year is a visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the elegant Iveagh House. We again had the privilege to meet with Cyril Brennan, Deputy Director US Affairs, North America, Australia and New Zealand Unit, Anglo-Irish Division.

As always, Cyril was gracious, interested, interesting, and exceedingly informed. The students asked great questions, and much of what Cyril discussed tied back directly to what the students have learned from previous speakers on the subjects of politics, international relations, trade, economics, policy, science, technology, and even the arts. We also learned that Ireland is putting a consulate in Austin, Texas (not Denver!) {I think we need to create our own “South by Southwest.” Maybe… “Attitude at Altitude!”}.

In the afternoon, we toured The Dail, and luck would have it that both chambers were in session, and the students were treated to some spirited debate given the elections over the weekend where the public voiced their concerns about the recent austerity measures (despite the “green shoots” arising from an economic perspective).

As a reminder, listed below are the student blogs to view. They start their projects tomorrow with five Irish start-ups. More on that tomorrow!