Published on
Minister Madigan begins trade and culture mission to Norway and Sweden
The Minister will visit Oslo, Uppsala and Stockholm where she will carry out a range of cultural, tourism and economic engagements. Minister Madigan will meet with members of the Irish community, and will address a special St Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Irish Ambassador in Oslo. During her visit, Minster Madigan will also meet her Norwegian counterpart, Minister for Culture Trine Skei Grande to discuss the Creative Ireland programme and cultural policy.
In Oslo, the Minister will visit the Litteraturhuset, Norway’s first House of Literature, and the Oslo Opera House. During her visit, she will meet with the new Irish Director of the Oslo Opera House, Annilese Miskimmon.
Minister Madigan will meet with a range of Irish companies operating in Norway and Sweden. The Minister will attend the Nasdaq listing of Zutec, a company supported by Enterprise Ireland, and the first Irish company to be floated on the Stockholm Nasdaq exchange. The Minister will also speak to Irish construction companies at an Enterprise Ireland seminar in the World Trade Centre Stockholm.
In Stockholm, Minister Madigan will visit Uppsala University, where she will meet with Vice Chancellor Eva Åkesson and present two scholarships to students to visit the Gaeltacht, supported by the Minister’s Department.
The Minister will attend Tourism Ireland ‘s ‘greening’ event at the Vasa Ship in Stockholm. The Vasa museum is the most popular tourist attraction in Scandinavia and this is the third year that the Museum has agreed to ‘green’ the Vasa ship to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
On St Patrick’s Day, Minister Madigan will lead the Stockholm St Patrick’s Day’s parade through the centre of Stockholm to the historic Gamla Stan – Old City.
Speaking in advance of the trip Minister Madigan said:
“It is a privilege to be representing Ireland abroad and I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet with our agencies, their client companies and other key business interests in Norway and Sweden to discuss the importance of continuing to strengthen our trade links. The promotion of Irish culture, and of Ireland as place to do business, is of paramount importance in all of the Government engagements taking place across the globe on St Patrick’s Day.
I look forward to meeting with my Norwegian counterpart, Minister for Culture Trine Skei Grande to discuss cultural policy and the Creative Ireland programme and other possible areas of future collaboration.”