Mayor hosts Taoiseach Simon Harris T.D. on his first official visit to Derry

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr hosted the Taoiseach Simon Harris T.D. on 16th September when he visited Derry as part of an official visit to the city to attend several engagements.

The Taoiseach received a tour of the Guildhall and met with officials from Derry City and Strabane District Council where he heard about the range of exciting initiatives being taken forward by Council and its delivery partners as part of the City Deal Project. As part of the meeting, the Taoiseach also received an update on the regional growth priorities for the North West City Region, in particular the positive collaborative work being done through the North West Regional Development Group in partnership with Donegal County Council and strategic partners in central government on both sides of the border.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr said she was extremely proud to welcome the Taoiseach on his first official visit to the City and District. She said it was an excellent opportunity to highlight to the Irish Government the strong level of engagement and collaboration that is taking place on a cross-border basis and the commitment by everyone to work collectively for growth and economic prosperity.

She said: “It was a great honour to welcome the Taoiseach Simon Harris to the City and the Guildhall and to give him an overview of the very many positive activities and initiatives we are working on with a focus on maximising the full potential of our region so that people in both jurisdictions can see and feel the benefits. The meeting was a very positive one and a great opportunity for us to acknowledge the level of support received to date and the important role the Irish Government can continue to play in facilitating further regeneration and investment in this region. I want to acknowledge the Irish Government’s funding towards the new teaching block at Ulster University and the ongoing positive engagement in relation to further expansion of the university in Derry, as well as the level of support provided for the NW territory education cluster.”

The Mayor welcoming the Shared Island Wild Atlantic Way/Causeway Coastal Route Tourism Brand Collab Project announcement said she was delighted to see this collaborative approach to promoting the tourism product and was very keen to see the Walled City positioned at the centre of where the Wild Atlantic Way meets the Causeway Coast Route.

John Kelpie, Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council said the visit of the Taoiseach was an opportunity for Council to acknowledge the Irish Government’s commitment to the region to date through the North West Strategic Growth Partnership and the NW Regional Development Group whilst also highlighting the importance of a continued shared approach to sustainable growth, economic development and infrastructural regeneration and the need for continued funding to support the North West region.

Among the issues discussed at the meeting was the Irish Government’s ongoing support on the A5 project and continued engagement to advance the Derry to Dublin airlink as well as Shared Island funding support for a range of joint initiatives with Donegal County Council such as the Sli Colmcille pilgrimage route project, a North West De-carb Exemplar Decarbonised Public Building and Transportation project as well as a NW Regulatory Technology Cluster.

“The Council took the opportunity to reinforce the message around collaboration and the success we have experienced of working together and how it has allowed us to develop programmes to support the economy such as support programmes for SMEs and start-ups, joint FDI/investment trade missions, greenways, cultural and heritage programmes, tourism development projects and destination marketing campaigns. Going forward we highlighted the need for a continued joined-up approach when it comes to investment in road, air, rail and sea connectivity in our region as well continued focus to enhance tertiary education provision, improved job and skills opportunities and investment in our tourism and cultural offerings as well as our North West Technology clusters.”

The Taoiseach was in the City to attend a number of events and meetings including projects to develop tourism on a collaborative cross-border basis in the North West; community engagement and reconciliation, and investment in higher education provision in the region through the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund, while also delivering the John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair Peace Lecture at Ulster University’s campus.