Carlow Delegation at Forefront of Luxembourg-Ireland Ties

A 20-strong delegation from County Carlow in Ireland has been in Luxembourg for the past few days, cementing ties between Ireland and the Grand Duchy; their primary objective was to engage with key institutions to learn about best practices in economic development, innovation and enterprise support, and to explore potential collaborations between the two regions.

The ties stem primarily from Luxembourg's patron saint, St Willibrord, who hailed from Northumbria in England, being trained and ordained in Carlow between 678AD to 690AD.

Carlow first sent a delegation to Luxembourg in 2010; in 2017 they sent a larger delegation and then planned to send another one in 2020; however, this was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A small delegation visited last year, with another large delegation participating this year with members including representative of the County Council and Chamber of Commerce, as well as some tourists / pilgrims.

The delegation from County Carlow comprised representatives from County Carlow Chamber of Commerce, South East Technological University (SETU) – Carlow Campus, and Carlow County Council's Economic Development Unit.

Some members of the delegation arrived on Sunday, with others arriving on Monday, with their itinerary arranged around the Hopping Procession in Echternach on Tuesday; they also took in the friendly football match between the two countries on Tuesday evening at the Stade de Luxembourg, and had business meeting arranged for Wednesday.

Sunday: Luxembourg city

On Sunday, those participants who arrived earlier that day were brought on a guided tour of Luxembourg's cathedral by Patrick Dondelinger, responsible for Luxembourg's intangible heritage at Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture, with some also visiting the Luxembourg Urban Garden (LUGA) in the Pétrusse valley. In the early evening, Ireland's Ambassador to Luxembourg, Jean McDonald, held a reception for the delegation at her official residence, with a few members of the Irish community with links to Carlow also invited.

Councillor Fintan Phelan, Mayor of Carlow, talked with Chronicle.lu and explained that Carlow signed a friendship agreement with Echternach a number of years ago. He stated that the county council delegation is very interested in LUGA as Carlow has rejuvenated Hannover Park in the town centre. He added that it is also exploring economic and business ties, also in the educational domain. When asked about the "friendship agreement" compared to town twinning, he explained that what they have is a commitment to explore certain areas. He also confirmed that they delegation is a mix of representatives from the county council, the chamber of commerce and the South East Technical University, as well as a number of other pilgrims.

Another delegate member who talked with Chronicle.lu was Padraig O’Gorman, Director of Services at Carlow County Council: he talked about the URDF, a €25m urban redevelopment project involving sustainable urban drainage systems, confirming their interest in looking at the ten gardens at LUGA earlier that day; he also talked about comparing the greening of Luxembourg city with Irish cities and towns.

Dermot Mulligan, Curator at Carlow Museum, who had visited Luxembourg this time last year, talked about celebrating St Willibrord and the connection with Carlow. He also addressed about deepening the relationship with the people of Echternach and further understanding the importance of St Willibrord and his mission.

During the reception, Ambassador McDonald addressed the group and said that Carlow is never far from our mind here due to the links, and that she is looking forward to building more links in the future.

The Mayor of Carlow, Fintan Phelan, said that he was delighted to lead the delegation and referenced the first small delegation in 2010, then the larger group travelling over in 2017. He said that Carlow is very proud of the link between Carlow and Echternach, between Ireland and Luxembourg. He mentioned the relic of St Willibrord in Carlow cathedral which was presented by Echternach a number of years ago. He also talked about learning from Luxembourg regarding urban gardens and urban transportation. He presented the ambassador with a printed silk scarf from Carlow.

Monday: Vianden

On Monday, the delegation were hosted by Florence Ensch, Luxembourg's Ambassador to Ireland, in her home town, with Josy Bassing leading them on a guided tour of Vianden Chateau; they also met with the Mayor of Vianden, Francy Weyrich, in the town hall.

That evening, they participated in the opening on the official opening of the festival in Echternach Basilica, with a mass led by Mgr. Stephan Ackermann, Bishop of Trier.

Tuesday: Echternach

On Tuesday morning they were back in Echternach and participated in the hopping procession; later that day they attended the friendly football match between Luxembourg and Ireland at the Stade de Luxembourg.

Wednesday: Luxembourg city

On Wednesday, the chamber representatives had a number of business meetings arranged, and they also met with representatives of the Ireland Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ILCC), leaving to return to Ireland in the evening.

Talking with Chronicle.lu about their visit, Nicola Doran, CEO at County Carlow Chamber of Commerce, explained that they were using the opportunity to get to learn what is happening in Luxembourg, to see what the potential could be. She stated "it's really a learning trip to see what the potential is for the future. We are very aware that, as Irish, Luxembourg is part of the BeNeLux, and collaborations are key to learning. This morning we met with the Luxembourg chamber of Commerce to get an overview, including about sectors and similarities - both chambers are self-financing and not for profit, and that in Luxembourg all commercial organisations are obliged to register with the chamber. This is not the case in Ireland". She also talked about finance for startups: "in Ireland there is a certain amount available from the state budget and others from regional authorities, leading to a certain amount of flexibilities on the ground. However, overall, there are more similarities than differences".

Norah Ryan, the recently-elected President of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce, also talked with Chronicle.lu and confirmed that she has been involved with the chamber for the past two years, and that it is a fabulous networking opportunity. She said that she is looking forward to working closely with Nicola Doran (CEO) and wants for all businesses in Carlow to know that the chamber is there for businesses in the county, not just in the town. She was very interested to meet with the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and learning about them. She said that she would be interested in imposing mandatory membership of a business chamber in Ireland, and that she was also interested to learn about the House of Startups, the House of Training, etc. She also talked about people being so busy nowadays, that trying to get them to engage for events is becoming very difficult - one of her goals going forward is trying to make the chamber accessible to everyone.

They were on their way to meet the Deputy Mayor of Luxembourg City Council, Maurice Bauer, at which the meeting addressed topics including the Luxembourg City Incubator, the Design Hub and pop-up stores. Nicola Doran explained that it is important for them to see how the structure works and discover potential areas of collaboration; she also revealed that their delegation is interested to learn about public transport in Luxembourg city, making reference to the tram and free public transport. Then they were scheduled to meet the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO): the Carlow Chamber of Commerce works very closely with the County Council and they were interested to learn how tourism in Luxembourg city has changed over the years. She explained that, in Carlow, a lot of tourism is based around individual tourists and a lot of attractions are built around nature. Their last meeting is scheduled with the Luxembourg House of Finance Technology (LHoFT) - the Carlow Chamber of Commerce is based in Enterprise House which is an enterprise hub managed by the County Council - they are very keen to learn about investment and innovation aspects of their work.

In conclusion regarding the visit, Irish Ambassador Jean McDonald stated "Deepening bilateral links between Ireland and Luxembourg is a key part of the Embassy’s mandate. I’ve been delighted therefore to welcome this delegation from Carlow, providing the opportunity to celebrate our unique historic connection through St Willibrord, while also exploring opportunities for future collaboration in business, educational and cultural sectors."

ED

UPDATED to include topics discussed with the Ville de Luxembourg