Promoting relations between Ireland and Texas
Ireland’s sixth consulate general in the U.S. will open in the state’s capital city this month, on the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States. It’ll be Austin’s second international consulate, after Mexico, and only the second new Irish consulate in America in the last 70 years.
The new consulate shows the Irish government’s strong commitment to promoting relations between Ireland and Texas — and I’m delighted to serve as Ireland’s first consul general to Texas.
The opening of the consulate will formalize a friendship between Ireland and Texas that is anything but new. The Irishman Hugh O’Connor, a Dublin native, served as the Spanish governor of Texas from 1767 to 1770. Twelve men who died defending the Alamo were born in Ireland, and many Irish-born soldiers fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. Over the past two centuries, Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans have contributed heavily to building the physical and social infrastructure that has been central to Texas’ development and identity. The Irish have played, and continue to play, a key role in Texas and its success, and the opening of the new consulate is the latest chapter in this great history.
As consul general, I’ll work to build stronger economic and cultural links between Ireland and Texas, but the development of closer relations at the political level will also be a major priority. This is one of the reasons why Ireland has chosen to establish a diplomatic mission in the state capital.
Since I arrived in Austin a few weeks ago, I’ve been reminded that everything is bigger in Texas. With a population of 4.6 million, Ireland’s domestic economy may be much smaller than the Lone Star State’s, but like Texas, Ireland has developed one of the world’s most open and export-oriented trading economies. As consul general, I’ll work with colleagues in two Irish state agencies — Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Authority — to further Irish-Texan trade and investment links.