Ambassador Foley being interviewed on Newstalk 106 "Saturday Edition with Brendan O'Brien".

Ambassador Foley Celebrates One Year in Ireland

Ambassador Foley recently celebrated the 1st anniversary of his service in Ireland. To mark this event he was interviewed on Newstalk 106 “Saturday Edition with Brendan O’Brien” on October 20th last. The Ambassador said that he has had a great year and is really enjoying his experience in Ireland. During the interview Ambassador Foley spoke of the close ties between Ireland and the US adding that “Ireland is the only country in the world that has an annual bilateral meeting with the US administration…The Irish relationship is extremely important both domestically and in foreign policy.”

When asked about his thoughts on US military planes landing in Shannon, the Ambassador said that “the American government appreciates the ability to use Shannon” and he reminded people that the peace keeping operations in Iraq are a UN mandated mission and that Ireland has always done very well in supporting peace keeping operations around the world.

Ambassador Foley also talked about his special interests in education and multiculturalism. The Ambassador formerly served as a Trustee of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and two Connecticut State Commissions involving education and children’s rights. He noted that schools in Ireland are facing issues similar to those of the US especially in relation to multiculturalism. He said that “if you can get young people of different ethnic groups to come together at school as well as in the community, this would cause divisions among the adult communities to disappear rather quickly”. Ambassador Foley intends to continue his good work in Ireland, paying special attention to vital issues such as integration, education and climate change.