OCC Chair spends St Patrick's in New York to sell Offaly

Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council Danny Owens departed Offaly yesterday (Thursday) for a St Patrick's trip to New York, after an invite was issued by the Offaly Association there. Though he will stay in New York until Monday, Cllr Owens said the trip will only cost something in the region of €1,400 in total including accommodation and rather than kicking back and enjoying the break he will be working throughout in a bid to sell Offaly. "We have to look outward rather than inward," Cllr Owens said, defending his trip Stateside. "All you can do is try and get the word out there and promote things as you can. You have to get out there. If you're not out there spreading the message nothing is going to happen. "Obviously I'll be meeting with members of the Irish diaspora generally, but specifically Offaly diaspora with a view of selling Offaly and encouraging those who many want to invest in Ireland to invest in Offaly." Today (Friday), Cllr Owens will attend meetings with representatives from both Enterprise Ireland and the IDA arranged by Atlantic Corridor. Tomorrow, St Patrick's Day, will be taken up with the New York St Patrick's Day parade as a guest of the Offaly Association in New York, while on Sunday Cllr Owens will attend a second St Patrick's Day parade in upstate New York with Chairman of the Offaly Association in New York Paddy Hogan. Cllr Owens said that while he doesn't know the full cost of the trip, it is "something in the order of €1,400 - €1,500" and he will be keeping expenses to a minimum. "I'm staying in a three star hotel," he said. Though in previous years more than one representative from Offaly attended the New York celebrations, a halved travel budget means Cllr Owens is taking the trip alone. Although a trip to New York for the St Patrick's weekend would be a dream come true for many, Cllr Owens said he will be missing Mount Bolus instead. "I will miss the craic," he said. "The Mount Bolus parade is one of the highlights of the day. It's a big parade in a small village. I'm going to miss that." Cllr Owens is also going to miss seeing Coolderry in action in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day, and took the opportunity to wish the team the very best. "We're all shouting for them and hope they'll be victorious on the day," he said. While he said he can't guarantee what investment will result from his trip, Cllr Owens said he hopes "something will come out of it". "When you're in a position as I am as Cathaoirleach you're in a position of responsibility where you must try and maximise what you can do during that year to bring what you can to Offaly," he said. Meanwhile Sinead Dooley will not be travelling to New York even though an invitation was issued to her by the Offaly Association in New York as Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Town Council. Cllr Dooley said at a Tullamore Town Council meeting last week that she could not accept the invitation due to the harsh economic times, but recorded her gratitude nonetheless.