The New Jersey-Ireland Trade Commission began a five-day mission trip to Ireland Thursday morning.
The trip, which will not include Gov. Phil Murphy, is an effort to continue the progress the group has made during the administration to increase ties – and economic growth – between a country and state that has so much shared history, vice chair Sean Kennedy said.
It is the first trip to Ireland since March of 2022, when an economic mission trip led by Murphy and sponsored and organized by Choose New Jersey, led to a number of trade deals and partnerships. The governor also went on a Choose New Jersey-sponsored economic mission trip to Ireland in 2019.
The 2022 trip led to the creation of the New Jersey Ireland Center. The office, under the direction of Choose New Jersey and overseen by Steve Lenox, the chair of the NJITC, aims to facilitate and increase partnerships between the regions.
On this trip, the seven-member delegation is expected to meet with a number of key government and business leaders in Dublin and Cook, including:
- The Speaker of the Dail, the lower house of the Irish Legislature (Verona Murphy);
- Ireland’s Minister of Finance (Pascal Donahue);
- The CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland (Paul Sweetmen);
- Mayor of Cork (Fergal Dennehy)
- Representatives of Cork College and the Cork Chamber of Commerce.
The group also will have a dinner with the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh, a noted New Jersey business leader, and a meeting with Finola Cunningham, the head of commercial section at the embassy.
There also will be a meet-and-greet with Irish entrepreneurs and founders at the Guinness Enterprise Centre, a leader in the startup community in Dublin since 2000.
Kennedy said it was important for the NJITC to return to Ireland an additional time before Murphy leaves office in January.
“The state has worked hard to increase economic partnerships in the past eight years,” he said. “This trip will help us strengthen and solidify those existing relationships while creating more, ensuring that the next administration will be in position to continue to grow our unique partnership.”
Approximately 1.3 million people in New Jersey claim Irish ancestry, making it about 14.6% of the state’s population.
Here’s more on the trip, presented in a Q&A format:
Q: Tell us more about the New Jersey Irish Trade Commission?
A: The NJITC was formally established in June of 2023 in an effort to deepen trade and investment links between the regions while boosting academic collaboration.
Q: Who is on the commission – and how many members are making the trip?
A: In addition to Lenox and Kennedy, there is Erin Rice, Tricia Maguire, Bridget Murphy, Ed Oatman, Declan Burke, Ann Wycherley, Eric Brophy, Tim Sullivan and Brian Quigley, as well as legislative leaders Sen. Paul Moriarty, Assemblyman Bill Moen and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy.
Lenox, Kennedy, Rice, Moriarty, Moen, Quigley and Wycherley are making the trip.
Q: Tell us more about the New Jersey Ireland Center?
A: The Center was launched in the fall of 2022 in the aftermath of the governor’s economic mission trip to Ireland in the spring. It provides Irish communities and academic institutions with an on-the-spot liaison to the state, providing market intelligence, site selection assistance, state resource information and partner introductions.
Q: How big is trade between Ireland in New Jersey?
A: Ireland ranked No. 12 on the 2025 Choose New Jersey Global Economic Index, ranking behind Great Britain (No. 3), but ahead of France, (No. 13), Italy (No. 19) and Spain (No. 20). New Jersey does more than $2.5 billion in annual trade with Ireland.
Q: Give us a few success stories from previous economic missions?
A: In 2022, Dublin-based Applegreen, one of the largest on-highway service plaza operators in the U.S. and Europe, made a $126 million investment in the state. The company is in the process of redeveloping all 21 of the state’s on-highway service plazas (800 jobs). It also moved its North American headquarters to Glen Rock, where it has added more than 100 jobs in finance, administration, development, and logistics to the region.
In 2024, Hackensack Meridian Health and Choose New Jersey created HMH Emerge — a new, exclusive pitch competition for Ireland-based health startups, providing an unparalleled opportunity to take ideas to reality through piloting, partnering, mentorship and/or investment.
In November of 2024, the first two winning companies were selected: Spiorad and NeuroBell.
Q: Trips such as these also have a cultural component. What will be noteworthy on this journey.
A: There will be a tour of the Irish Emigration Musuem. And did we mention the meet-and-greet at Guinness.
The Agenda
A look at some of the stops the delegation of the New Jersey Irish Trade Commission will make during their five-day mission to Ireland, which began Thursday morning.
Thursday, Sept. 4
- Meeting with Finola Cunningham, Head of Commercial Section, US Embassy
- Meeting with Paul Sweetman, CEO of American Chamber of Commerce Ireland
- Meeting with Minister of Finance Pascal Donahue
- Meeting with Verona Murphy, Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) of the Dail.
Friday, Sept. 5
- Visit to the Guinness Enterprise Center (Meet and greet with various Irish startups)\
- Tour of Barretstown
- Tour of Irish Emigration Museum
- Dinner with U.S. Ambassador Edward Walsh
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 6-7
- Travel to Cork, various stops
Monday, Sept. 8
- Meeting with Cork Chamber of Commerce
- Meeting with Lord Mayor of Cork
- Meeting with Jeremy Hayes, Business Innovation Systems
- Tour of University College Cork, meeting with representatives
