NYC Speaker Quinn Visits Ireland

New York City Speaker Christine Quinn visited Ireland last week for meetings with the Northern leadership and talks with the Northern Housing Minister to provide advice on New York's solution to the affordable housing problems there.

The meetings with First Minister, Dr. Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness were a follow-up to their visit to New York City last week, and concentrated on how best New York City can encourage businesses to attend next year's economic conference and facilitate further inward investment into the North.

Among the issues discussed was the possibility of New York labour unions investing in the North using the vehicle of their pension funds.

Speaker Quinn also met with Housing Minister Margaret Richie, MLA, who was interested in examining how New York approaches the problems of providing affordable housing, as part of a program to reduce the 36,000-strong housing waitng list in the North. Minister Richie is expected to follow these talks with a visit to New York City in February.

Speaker Quinn also visited the Colaiste Seirste Irish language school for 11 to 18-year-olds.

On the agenda was discussion of the possibiliy of creating an exchange program between St. Mary's University (the school's parent body) and an New York City university.