Fermanagh and Omagh District Council welcomes U.S. Special Envoy for Economic Affairs

The U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, Joe Kennedy III, visited Enniskillen today (14 September 2023) to discuss the potential for economic activity and investment in the Fermanagh and Omagh district.

Visiting on the back of the international Investment Summit held in Belfast yesterday, and accompanied by the U.S. Consul General, James Applegate and Head of the Civil Service, Dr. Jayne Brady, the U.S. Special Envoy met with local business leaders and elected representatives at a Business Breakfast hosted by the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, at the historic Enniskillen Castle.

Speaking about the event, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, said:

“Economic development and prosperity of the district is a particular priority for me and I was delighted to host Joe Kennedy today.

As U.S. Special Envoy, Joe Kennedy is focused on advancing economic development and investment opportunities in the North to the benefit of all as well as supporting people to people ties between here and the United States. Today was an important first step in starting that conversation and forging those links.

We are entrepreneurial people in Fermanagh and Omagh, with one of the highest levels of start up businesses in the North, along with a strong business survival rate indicating positive economic stability.

The Fermanagh and Omagh district is open for business and ready for investment.  We hope that other delegates will follow in Joe Kennedy’s footsteps by visiting the district and work with us so that we build upon our strengths and maximise the many opportunities available.”

Speaking at the event, U.S. Special Envoy, Joe Kennedy III, said: 

“It is great to be in the beautiful Lakeland town of Enniskillen this morning getting the perspectives and insights of local business leaders.

My role is to be your advocate, to help promote personal relationships and investment between Northern Ireland and the U.S. and to highlight some of those opportunities to business leaders in the U.S.”

During the visit, the U.S. Special Envoy had the opportunity to hear from local business leaders and elected representatives on the opportunities around green, sustainable energy and the circular economy and the strong skill set and knowledge base within the district; business start-ups and micro businesses; diversity and inclusion within the workplace; connectivity and infrastructure and the eagerness for collaboration and international cooperation.

To mark Joe Kennedy’s visit to the Fermanagh and Omagh district, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, presented the Special Envoy with a book of illustrated Irish folklore by the late local historian Johnny McKeagney, along with a framed map of the townland Tonymore in Co. Fermanagh, where Joe Kennedy’s great, great, great grandmother, Rosanna Cox, lived before emigrating to America in the 1800s.