Why do Ireland politicians believe they can influence Washington

St. Patrick’s Day is associated with his honest proportion of traditions, from wearing a twig of Shamrock, to attending the church service for sipping one (or several) pints of stout.

There is another annual tradition for politicians from the island of Ireland – a visit to Washington DC.

Every March dozens of people, including politicians, business people and lobbyists from the Republic of Ireland and northern Ireland, descend into the capital of the United States.

This year, numerous politicians of Northern Ireland refuse to travel because of Donald Trump’s policy.

But what is the meaning of the events of the week suffering until St. Patrick’s Day, and if they did not happen, would anyone return home to notice any difference?

Two major things that government governments in Dublin and Belfast – as well as companies – want to see how they get out of travel are investments in the US and strong trade relations.

Two men who were in Washington several times as part of the event of St. Patrick’s Day say that there is no doubt that travels give results.

Steve Aiken participated in the Washington St Patrick excursions as executive director of the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce and later as the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Stormont Assembly member said it is impossible to build relationships to improve business and political relationships without encountering face to face.

“Everything relates to the possibility of talking to people you usually don’t have the opportunity to talk to,” he said.

“As we found out during the time of the man, the business through Zoom does not really do business.

“You have to be in the room to do this and if you want to influence, you have to be there to talk about talking; you can’t do it of 3,500 miles.”

Aiken said that contrary to what perception could be, it was not a “holiday.”

“You have to be through short and power authoritatively to talk and you need to have answers to these questions – and you will be asked a lot of questions and you will throw you a lot,” he said.

Former politician Sinn Féin Máirtín ó Muilleoir also knows about the benefits of staying in the room and disappointment over the missing.

Irish Echo publisher twice attended the White House in this role, but during his time he did not travel to Washington as the Minister of Finance in Northern Ireland, after tearing the Stormont CEO two months before the 2017 ceremony.

He said that the mood in the United States was in progress until St. Patrick’s Day for the ideal time for Ireland politicians and companies to make their terrain.

“Consider the largest companies in the US, all of them will have promotions related to the day of St. Patrick,” he said.

“You will go to the city in the US where there will be an advertisement everywhere.

“This means that they are already doing part of the job for you.”

He said he believed that in the coming days there would be a great announcement of financial services.

In addition to helping the development of a positive relationship between the Republic of Ireland, northern Ireland and the United States, it is a little harder to determine the direct outcomes of the annual visits – after all, the relationship is much more in a relationship than just St. Patrick’s Day.

In the 1990s, visits were considered important in the process, which eventually led to the signing of the Great Friday 1998 agreement, which was largely completed by the worst of three decades of violence known as trouble.

In 1995, then leader Sinn Féin Gerry Adams attended the White House – One year after President Bill Clinton intervened to approve his US visa – The move opposed by the Government of the UK.

Five years later, and two years after the 1998 Belfast Agreement, Adams posed for photos in the White House with President Clinton and then leader of the UUP David Trimble – a reflection of how the time changed.

Both Aiken and ó Muilleoir say visits to investment and jobs in the United States in Northern Ireland.

2024 in Northern Ireland there were 285 US companies employed by 31,915 people – compared to 140 companies and 21,270 employees in 2010.

But Esmond Birnie, a senior economist at Ulster University, said that a direct connection could not be drawn.

“It is impossible to quantify whether these political visits have actually led to investment or sales, so you can’t really prove it in one way or another,” he said.

“On balance, benefits are likely to be less than the basics of training, skills, innovation and productivity and so on.”

Dr. Birnie said that factors such as Northern Ireland’s location in the UK and the European unique market, relatively low labor costs and relatively low and unobtrusive regulations of continental European standards, all US companies wanted to invest.

It used to be a time when Irish Americans were highlighted at the top of US politics, and figures such as Senator Teddy Kennedy and President of the O’Neill Type of Representatives promoted Irish interests in the hallways of power.

This is a partial result of years of high level of emigration from Ireland to the United States – the 1930 census recorded 923,600 inhabitants born on the island of Ireland.

Until the turn of the century that fell to 169,600.

The end of the troubles also meant fewer titles about Northern Ireland.

“One of the problems that every politician or influence from the island of Ireland has – north or south – is that people are interested in what is happening,” Aiken said.

“With everything else that is happening in the world, we are pretty far down on the list.”

Ó Muilleoir, however, said that Ireland still had a privileged position in the United States.

“I once met the Swiss consul on Manhattan and I aroused the feeling that we no longer had so much influence in New York,” he said

“He said he walked from Wall Street to Central Park and every block in which he saw the Irish flag – but did not see any Swiss flag.”

Sinn Féin is The boycott of events this year Through the attitude of President Donald Trump about the conflict in Israel-Gazi, which means that the first Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill, the pronoun leader of the party, will not be present.

The Social Democratic and Labor Party also said that it would not attend if it was invited, and the federal party occupies a similar attitude.

Deputy first Minister Emma Little-Pongelly, from a democratic unionist party, said she would go to Washington DC, saying that it was important to “maintain long and useful” relations with the US.

Ó Muilleoir said politicians have to weigh the benefits and disadvantages.

“This is probably the hardest time to be in the White House on St. Patrick,” he said.

“We are not the only people with moral dilemmas; it is that everyone brings their choice.”