President Bush meets with Irish Ambassador Michael Collins on September 18, 2007. (White House photo by Eric Draper)

President Bush meets with Irish Ambassador to the U.S.

President George W. Bush met with Ambassador Michael Collins of the Republic of Ireland, during the credentials ceremony for newly appointed ambassadors Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007. Mr. Collins is Ireland’s 16th ambassador to the U.S.

Ireland and the United States have experienced deep historical ties dating back to the Irish Famine, and Ambassador Collins and the US. Ambassador to Ireland, Tom Foley, have already been in discussions about how they can reinforce the special relationship between the two countries. According to census figures 34.7 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (4.2 million). Ambassador Collins has said that he is committed to addressing the problem of the undocumented Irish in the U.S.

The US has had a very positive influence on Ireland over the years. U.S. investment has been particularly important to the growth and modernization of the Irish economy. But this has not all been one-way as Irish companies have invested more than 25 billion dollars in America, employing almost 70,000 people. Besides regular dialogue on political and economic issues, the U.S. and Irish Governments have official exchanges in areas such as medical research and education. The U.S. Government played a significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process.  Consolidating and encouraging the full implementation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the 2006 St. Andrews Agreement remain U.S. priorities in Ireland.  Mr. Collins formerly worked on Northern Ireland Issues when he was a political adviser to An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He was also a counselor to the Irish embassy in Washington during the early nineties.

Ambassador Foley commented that the appointment of Michael Collins as the Irish Ambassador to the United States is a very positive development for his goal of highlighting and strengthening cooperation between the U.S. and Ireland on global issues such as the environment.