On Wednesday, August 12 the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce hosted a delegation from Galway, Ireland to share ideas and discuss potential for opportunities to collaborate in the future.
Galway Mayor Frank Fahy and City Manager Brendan McGrath led the delegation, which included Keith Finnegan, President of Galway Sister Cities and Galway Bay FM, and Cllr. Donal Lyons, City Councilor and former Mayor of Galway. Joe Szabo, CEO Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), presented on the city of Chicago before Bill Gainer, Chair of Chicago Sister Cities Galway Committee, led a roundtable discussion.
Chicago has enjoyed a special Sister City relationship with Galway since 1997. With more than 25 Ireland-based companies in the Chicago area and 42 Chicago based-companies in Ireland, Chicago and Ireland already share a strong economic bond. Chicago is also home to 730,000 residents of Irish ancestry, which makes it the second-largest Irish community in the United States.
Click here to view photos from the event.