Dear Friends, A Chairde,
In the months before I moved to New York in August, many of my predecessors as Consul General had the same message for me: “this job will be one of the busiest you’ll ever do….but here’s the thing – it’ll also be the job you’ll love the most."
Just four months in, I already know they were 100% right and this is because of the energy, positivity and resilience of our amazing community across the six states the Consulate covers – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut and Delaware.
These six great states together add up to the world’s third-largest economy in their own right, and are home to just under sixty million people. Over seven million have Irish heritage, and at the Consulate we are so proud to represent the Irish government from our offices just above Grand Central Station in Manhattan, New York City.
The holiday period is a time for rest and reflection, and invites us to look back on the past year as well as looking forward to 2026. The diplomatic team at the Consulate has seen considerable change, not only bringing a new Consul General but also seeing changes at the Deputy Consul General level with the arrival of Deputy CGs Katie Daughen and Róisín Leonard.
All three of us are so grateful to the community for the warm welcome we have received so far. We also want to pay tribute to our amazing predecessors, former Consul General Helena Nolan and former Deputy CGs Andrew Byrne and Gareth Hargadon. They leave many great legacies, not least the opening of the new Ireland House offices at 200 Park Avenue – a real statement of Ireland’s investment in its relations with the U.S.
This statement is deliberate and is being made elsewhere across the US, most notably through our new Embassy premises at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, and the new Ireland House offices in Chicago.
With Ireland House in New York up and running, 2025 has been another busy year for the Consulate across all its areas of work - politics, business, culture, consular, community and media. We had the honour of welcoming twelve high-level visits to our region throughout the year, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Ministers and Ministers of State.
We created a new Honorary Consul position for Buffalo and Western New York and are delighted to have Kathleen Higgins Greely in this important role. We worked with Tourism Ireland and other partners to highlight Ireland hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor during this year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
We were there when Shane Lowry holed that winning putt on the final day! And in the cultural field it’s nearly impossible to single out one particular memory. In my short time here, one which stood out was Druid’s production of Beckett’s Endgame at the Irish Arts Center, marking their 50th anniversary.
The full list of events and engagements we hosted or supported is too long to list in full here. For my own part I estimate I’ve already participated at over one hundred events across five states, reflecting the great depth, culture and diversity of Irish America.
At Ireland House, our First Friday gatherings – which are open to all - continue to be a great forum to bring our community together and engage on new and interesting topics of discussion. Over the course of 2025 we have traced the roots of the Irish holiday of Samhain, hosted Irish podcasters in America, discussed the gaming sector and looked at the cross-generational impact of the GAA among Irish and Irish American communities.
As we reflect on these great communities, it is important to note that the Irish Government began its consultation process on our new national Diaspora Strategy this year with two meetings held in the New York consular region.
It was a privilege to welcome Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD to both Philadelphia and New York to meet with many of our Emigrant Support Programme recipients and leaders across the academic, business, political and community organization spaces.
Participants were asked to share their views on Irish identity, creating the next generation of Irish American community leaders and ways to enhance business and trade links between the U.S. and Ireland. The new strategy will be published next year and will guide us as we look to continually enhance our engagement with communities and partners in the region.
We are acutely conscious, too, about concerns around immigration. That’s why the Irish government has supported co-ordinated action across the U.S., in particular the Irish in Motion initiative managed by the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers and available through our amazing community centres.
It goes without saying that we will stay close to this work which ensures Irish immigrants and their families have access to trusted information, legal resources and a strong community of support. Our centres are so impressive and so important, and we’re proud to work with them and grateful too that our funding is often generously complemented by excellent support at City and State levels.
Everything boils down to our people and we have so many Irish leaders to be proud of, including in the business world. Working with our Team Ireland partners at Ireland House (Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia), the Consulate will place an increased emphasis on its own business and economic work next year and beyond.
While business uncertainties persist, it remains the case that there is huge new potential in Irish-U.S. links in terms of trade, investment and tourism. Already, Ireland is investing in the U.S. at scale and is now the 5th largest source of foreign direct investment with investment by Irish companies worth $390 billion. Across the 50 States in the Union, more than 200,000 people are employed by 781 Irish companies.
We can go into 2026 with our heads held high. It will be an important year of anniversaries as America marks her 250th birthday and New York remembers those who tragically lost their lives on 9/11, 25 years ago. Ireland has a new President, Catherine Connolly, while recent elections here will bring us a new Mayor in New York and a new Governor in New Jersey. From July to December, Ireland will once again hold an international leadership role as Presidency of the Council of the European Union. There is so much to look forward to in the cultural and sporting fields too. Whatever it is, the Consulate General will play its full part.
Thank you to all readers all for the work that you all do in promoting Ireland, and Irish values and interests, in New York and in the United States. We at the Consulate in New York wish you all a joyous, safe and healthy holiday season and a very Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! Beannachtaí na Nollag Oraibh!
Gerald Angley is Consul General of Ireland in New York
