Minister McEntee to advance Ireland’s trade priorities during New York programme

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, has commenced an extensive programme of trade, political and community engagements in New York as part of UN General Assembly High-Level Week.

The Minister’s programme will place a particular focus on Ireland’s trade and investment relationship with the United States, at a time of significant change and uncertainty in the international trading environment.

Minister McEntee said: “Trade and investment are central to Ireland’s relationship with the United States. It is a genuinely two-way relationship. American companies support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Ireland, while Irish companies are increasingly investing, growing and creating jobs across the United States.

“At a time of significant uncertainty in global trade, maintaining strong, stable and predictable economic relationships matters enormously for an open economy like Ireland. During my meetings in New York, I will be making the case for continued transatlantic trade and investment and for removing, rather than creating, unnecessary barriers to doing business.”

Alongside a number of trade-focused bilateral meetings during High-Level Week, Minister McEntee will engage directly with Irish companies investing and creating jobs in the United States and major U.S. companies investing in Ireland.

The engagements come one month before Minister McEntee hosts EU Trade Ministers in Dublin.

Minister McEntee said: “Next month I will host EU Trade Ministers in Dublin at an important moment for European and global trade. This week’s engagements at the UN are an important precursor to a meeting that will focus on the transatlantic trading relationship and the need to diversify our export markets.”

Minister McEntee will meet Irish company Granite Digital, which has grown from a start-up in West Cork to an employer of more than 250 people across four continents. Granite is Ireland’s largest independent digital agency and works with clients including Red Bull, Intel, Audi and Concentrix.

The Minister will mark Granite’s latest U.S. acquisition of brand and design agency Right Hat, further expanding the company’s North American presence and highlighting the increasing contribution Irish businesses are making to investment and employment in the United States.

Minister McEntee said: “Irish companies are increasingly ambitious international investors. Granite’s growth from West Cork into the United States is a strong example of the confidence, innovation and ambition we are seeing from Irish businesses.

“I want to see more Irish companies growing internationally, investing in the United States and creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Minister McEntee will also meet ServiceNow, the U.S.-based enterprise AI platform company. Since establishing operations in Ireland in 2018, ServiceNow has grown to employ more than 750 people in Ireland. Discussions will centre on artificial intelligence, digital governance, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.

Minister McEntee said: “American investment has played a hugely important role in Ireland’s economic development, and Ireland continues to be a highly competitive location for leading global companies.

“Our discussions with ServiceNow will focus on some of the issues increasingly shaping the global economy, including AI, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.”

The programme follows a period of substantial change in transatlantic trade. The EU and U.S. agreed a new framework on tariffs and trade in 2025, with further measures to implement that agreement taking effect this year.

Against that backdrop, the Minister will use her engagements in New York to emphasise the importance of stability, predictability and a strong transatlantic economic relationship for businesses and workers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Minister’s programme will also highlight the broader Ireland-U.S. relationship and its deep community and cultural links.

At a reception for representatives of the Irish community on Monday, Minister McEntee launched the ‘Green Pages’ directory, developed by the Consulate General of Ireland in New York to better connect Irish cultural groups and community organisations.

Ahead of the reception, the Minister met key Irish community leaders for discussions on Ireland-U.S. relations, Northern Ireland and Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Minister McEntee said: “Our economic relationship is built on something much deeper. Generations of Irish people have helped shape New York and Irish people continue to make an enormous contribution across business, politics, culture and community life in this city.

“It was a pleasure to reconnect with the Irish community and to launch the new ‘Green Pages’ directory, which will help strengthen those connections even further.”

As part of her programme, Minister McEntee will also visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in downtown New York. She will lay a wreath to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks and meet representatives of the NYPD and FDNY Emerald Societies.

Minister McEntee said: “It will be a privilege to pay my respects at the 9/11 Memorial, 25 years after attacks which claimed 2,977 innocent lives, including at least 18 Irish citizens.

“The many Irish names among those who died, including Irish-American first responders, are a powerful reminder of the depth of the bonds between Ireland and New York.”

ENDS