The Honourable Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, concluded his visit to Ireland yesterday with a meeting with Ireland�s Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Bertie Ahern. Premier Williams and Innovation, Trade and Rural Development Minister, the Honourable Trevor Taylor, were in Ireland as part of a trade mission and to participate in 20th anniversary March Hare events.

"I was honoured to be greeted so warmly once again by our Irish friends, in particular Taoiseach Ahern who took time out of his busy schedule to meet with me and also to attend our trade mission reception," said Premier Williams. "The Taoiseach is a great friend to our province, and his commitment to further developing partnerships is evidenced by his personal involvement in our intergovernmental relationships."

"The trip allowed me to once again promote the tremendous opportunities in our province particularly in the areas of ocean and marine technology," added the Premier. "It is a source of great pride for me when I see a country like Ireland looking to us to share our expertise and knowledge. We have much to learn from each other and I am confident this trip will further our already productive partnerships."

Premier Williams formalized the relationship between Newfoundland and Labrador and Ireland in the area of ocean technology today by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ireland�s Minister of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey. As both regions are leaders in ocean technology and boast strong ocean technology clusters, the MOU will encourage further collaboration, particularly in the area of ocean observing, between business, academia, and governments in both jurisdictions. In 2006, Newfoundland and Labrador signed an MOU with the State of Rhode Island to collaborate on ocean technology. The MOU with Ireland will complement work being done with New England.

Collaboration on ocean technology is already underway. Ireland is launching its own SmartBay project this year, modeled after the SmartBay project underway in Placentia Bay (www.smartbay.ca). This will be a pilot project for an ocean observation system in Ireland. The objective of the Placentia Bay SmartBay project is to provide all users of the bay with real time, easy access to data and information such as temperature, water currents and water quality.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is making great strides in the advancement of our ocean technology sector," said Minister Taylor. "Leading the charge in the development of ocean observing systems is a priority for us, and partnering with jurisdictions such as Ireland and New England will enhance research and business opportunities for our companies and institutions."

Premier Williams and Minister Taylor also met with Minister Eamon O Cuiv, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, where they discussed both the challenges and opportunities surrounding regional development.

"Ireland has undergone a substantial transformation over the past couple of decades as the Celtic Tiger has emerged," said Premier Williams. "Part of this economic resurgence was the urbanization of much of Ireland. However, we were interested to learn more from the Irish government as to how they maintained thriving rural communities."

Minister Taylor noted that while it was not an easy road for the Irish, their success came about over time. "I was interested to note that in many respects, we are on the right track in rural Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Taylor. "Just as Ireland faced obstacles and overcame them with strategic action plans, we are likewise doing this in our province by investing in infrastructure, social and economic development. Listening to the Irish experience gave me renewed confidence in our rural plan for Newfoundland and Labrador."

A business delegation from the province also went to Ireland as part of a trade mission. The delegates are meeting with Irish firms to pursue opportunities in the marine, information technology, aerospace and tourism sectors. The business representatives have had meetings throughout the country, particularly in coastal regions and technology centres. Companies participating in the mission are: Avalon Microelectronics (St. John's); Canmar (La Scie); Gander Flight Training Aerospace Technologies (Gander); Nordhaven Landing Inc. (Main Brook); Notus Electronics (St. John�s); and TriNav (St. John's).

Memorial University also signed a Letter of Intent on petroleum research with the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Irish Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. With similarities between the Orphan Basin and the oil fields off of Ireland, the sharing of research findings is important between the two groups. The North Atlantic Petroleum Systems Assessment (NAPSA) initiative will focus on intensifying fundamental and applied research in the field of geoscience, petroleum engineering and best practice to promote exploration and development of petroleum resources in both Newfoundland and Labrador and Ireland. The group will pursue joint investigations and scientific exchanges of mutual interest and will reinforce and strengthen the institutional linkages between research organizations in each country.

As part of the 20th anniversary March Hare celebrations, the Newfoundland and Labrador delegation enjoyed an incredible performance of Newfoundland and Labrador and Irish performers. Many of the works of poetry read at the festivals over the past two decades have been secured in a volume entitled The March Hare Anthology compiled by Adrian Fowler. Singer-songwriter Pamela Morgan also collected songs spanning the festival�s 20 year history and included them on a CD entitled The Hare. Both the anthology and the CD were officially launched in Ireland as part of the celebrations."

"The March Hare events that we attended in Waterford were simply amazing," said Premier Williams. "To see our home grown talent displayed here in the home of many of our ancestors was a magical experience. Our artists will continue to entertain and captivate audiences here in Ireland for the remainder of this week, and I could not be more proud of the work of the March Hare organizers and participants. I look forward to attending our own March Hare events in Corner Brook next week."

During the course of the visit, discussions were also held on establishing in Newfoundland and Labrador a living tribute to the Irish people to commemorate and recognize our past, present and future connections. Officials from Ireland have been invited to Newfoundland and Labrador in the next couple of months to further explore this project.

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Photo #1: Premier Danny Williams shakes hands with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern during the Premier's visit to Ireland this week.