NLIS 1
June 20, 2000
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

One-of-a-kind Waterford Crystal Piece Presented to Province
to Commemorate 1000^th Anniversary of Vikings Arrival

Waterford Crystal, the world-renowned Irish crystal company out of Waterford, Ireland, has specially created and designed a one-of-a-kind crystal piece for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The piece commemorates the 1000^th anniversary of the Viking settlement at L�Anse aux Meadows.

The gift was presented today on behalf of Waterford Crystal by Walter Kerwin, Assistant Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister,) Government of Ireland. Charles Furey, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation accepted the gift on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Also attending the ceremony were Nick Flynn, Director of Public Relations, Waterford Crystal, and Vince Withers, Chair, Ireland Business Partnerships. The ceremony took place at the Full Circle: First Contact exhibit, St. John�s Arts and Culture Centre.

"Newfoundland and Labrador has strong cultural and economic ties with Ireland. Our Irish ancestors, through four centuries of immigration, contributed significantly to creating the society of which we are so proud. Relations between us are growing even closer and more productive as our business partnerships develop," said Minister Furey. "We accept this magnificent gift, commemorating the 1000^th anniversary of the Vikings arrival to our shores, as further evidence of our mutual commitment to our growing relationship. Each year, Waterford Crystal creates only 12 special one-of-a-kind pieces, and we are delighted that they chose to recognize this special event in our history."

The Waterford Crystal piece unveiled today represents a Viking ship resting on top of a world globe. The magnificent piece will be displayed in the Confederation Building lobby.

The province has received one previous one-of-a-kind Waterford Crystal piece from the people of Ireland. In 1997, John Bruton, former Prime Minister of Ireland, presented Premier Tobin with a piece commemorating the 500^th anniversary of John Cabot�s landing in Newfoundland. This piece is also prominently displayed in the Confederation Building lobby.

In November of 1996, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding to encourage economic cooperation. In our province, this MOU is administered by the Ireland Business Partnerships, a public/private partnership between the provincial government and the private sector. In Ireland, it is administered through the office of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister.)

Vince Withers, Chair of the Ireland Business Partnerships noted, "I am delighted to see the growth and development of the partnership and this is a good example of the strong relationship and unique friendship that exists between our province and Ireland." He said, "We look to the Irish economic emergence as a model to strengthen our economic community and as a beacon to build and enhance our business relationships."

Vikings! 1000 Years: Make the Journey is a project of the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation, Parks Canada and the Viking Trail Tourism Association. The Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canada Millennium Partnership Program are the funding partners for Vikings! 1000 Years. The three major corporate sponsors for the Vikings! 1000 Years celebrations are Petro Canada, NewTel and Newfoundland Power. Supporting sponsors include Dominion, Eimskip, FMC Kongsberg Subsea, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board and Interprovincial Airlines.

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Matthews, Communications, Tourism, Culture and Recreation, (709) 729-0928.
Kirk Tilley, Executive Director, Ireland Business Partnerships, (709) 739-3614.

2000 06 20                     9:30 a.m.