Post by earl on May 9, 2008 12:53:18 GMT
On Ireland Visit, Noting That Council Speaker and Belfast Go Back a Long Way
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — At least he got the name of the ship right.
In remarks to top government leaders here on Thursday morning, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg explained that his traveling companion, Christine C. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker, had an unusual tie to Belfast. Ms. Quinn “traces her ancestry right back here to Northern Ireland,” Mr. Bloomberg said, adding, “Her mother was one of the few survivors of the Titanic,” which was built in Belfast.
Her mother?
Nope. It was her grandmother, Helen Shine Callaghan. Twenty years old at the time, she managed to escape her steerage accommodations on the Titanic in 1912, becoming one of about 700 people to make it to safety after the ship struck an iceberg. More than 1,500 people died.
Standing at Mr. Bloomberg’s side, Ms. Quinn interrupted his remarks in mock horror. “Grandmother!” she shouted, as laughter erupted among the local dignitaries and economic development officials.
“Great-grandmother,” Mr. Bloomberg responded, playing it safe.
Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn are among about a dozen city officials and employees on a whirlwind tour of Belfast, the location of a major investment conference this week. The purpose of the conference is to lure investors to Northern Ireland now that a stable government shared between Protestants and Catholics has replaced decades of violent conflict.
Last month, four New York pension funds agreed to invest $150 million in infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland.
A little later, Mr. Bloomberg gave the line another try. Speaking on the steps of the Northern Ireland Parliament at a news conference with Ian Paisley, the first minister of Northern Ireland, he introduced Ms. Quinn as “the speaker of our City Council, whose grandmother came from Northern Ireland, and, actually she came on a boat, which didn’t make it, but she did.”
“We are all pleased her grandmother did, or you would not be here, I suppose,” Mr. Bloomberg said, nodding toward Ms. Quinn.
The Mayor on Marketing
Mr. Bloomberg, who is working on a new book about management, found an audience eager for his advice in Northern Ireland.
In his keynote address at the conference inside Parliament, Mr. Bloomberg explained to Northern Ireland’s top government officials that “attracting tourists is like any other business: You have to market your product.”
He said that to lure big companies to the region, Northern Ireland would need “good schools and a well-educated work force,” not to mention “good infrastructure, especially transportation links to other commercial hubs.”
He warned that to become a destination, the region must let investors and tourists know that the decades-long violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants is over.
“It’s all here — but you need people to know about it,” he said, and if it was not already obvious, Mr. Bloomberg added, “We’re eager to share strategies that have worked well in New York.”
Elected leaders and business heads heaped praise on the mayor, treating him like a head of state and speaking in reverent tones about the health of New York City under his watch.
Introducing Mr. Bloomberg at a news conference, Jim Rodgers, the lord mayor of Belfast, said, “New York City is in an Ivy League all its own.”
The Political Interest
City politics do not end at the water’s edge.
At least two potential candidates for mayor traveled to Belfast as part of New York’s delegation, and both seemed ever-eager to reach out to the Irish community, a powerful voting bloc in the city.
Ms. Quinn, the Council speaker, frequently discussed her ties to the region and emphasized her familiarity with the political landscape.
“Here comes Gerry Adams, and he knows my name,” Ms. Quinn said at one point, referring to the head of Sinn Fein, the political affiliate of the Irish Republican Army.
Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. may not be on a first-name basis with Mr. Adams, but he does oversee the pension funds that have pledged to invest in Northern Ireland.
That was enough for Mr. Bloomberg, who ribbed the comptroller about his investment choice: “While some cynics back home might say that Bill is just courting the Irish voters back home — can you imagine that? — it’s actually a perfect example, seriously, of how good policy can also make good politics.”
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — At least he got the name of the ship right.
In remarks to top government leaders here on Thursday morning, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg explained that his traveling companion, Christine C. Quinn, the New York City Council speaker, had an unusual tie to Belfast. Ms. Quinn “traces her ancestry right back here to Northern Ireland,” Mr. Bloomberg said, adding, “Her mother was one of the few survivors of the Titanic,” which was built in Belfast.
Her mother?
Nope. It was her grandmother, Helen Shine Callaghan. Twenty years old at the time, she managed to escape her steerage accommodations on the Titanic in 1912, becoming one of about 700 people to make it to safety after the ship struck an iceberg. More than 1,500 people died.
Standing at Mr. Bloomberg’s side, Ms. Quinn interrupted his remarks in mock horror. “Grandmother!” she shouted, as laughter erupted among the local dignitaries and economic development officials.
“Great-grandmother,” Mr. Bloomberg responded, playing it safe.
Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn are among about a dozen city officials and employees on a whirlwind tour of Belfast, the location of a major investment conference this week. The purpose of the conference is to lure investors to Northern Ireland now that a stable government shared between Protestants and Catholics has replaced decades of violent conflict.
Last month, four New York pension funds agreed to invest $150 million in infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland.
A little later, Mr. Bloomberg gave the line another try. Speaking on the steps of the Northern Ireland Parliament at a news conference with Ian Paisley, the first minister of Northern Ireland, he introduced Ms. Quinn as “the speaker of our City Council, whose grandmother came from Northern Ireland, and, actually she came on a boat, which didn’t make it, but she did.”
“We are all pleased her grandmother did, or you would not be here, I suppose,” Mr. Bloomberg said, nodding toward Ms. Quinn.
The Mayor on Marketing
Mr. Bloomberg, who is working on a new book about management, found an audience eager for his advice in Northern Ireland.
In his keynote address at the conference inside Parliament, Mr. Bloomberg explained to Northern Ireland’s top government officials that “attracting tourists is like any other business: You have to market your product.”
He said that to lure big companies to the region, Northern Ireland would need “good schools and a well-educated work force,” not to mention “good infrastructure, especially transportation links to other commercial hubs.”
He warned that to become a destination, the region must let investors and tourists know that the decades-long violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants is over.
“It’s all here — but you need people to know about it,” he said, and if it was not already obvious, Mr. Bloomberg added, “We’re eager to share strategies that have worked well in New York.”
Elected leaders and business heads heaped praise on the mayor, treating him like a head of state and speaking in reverent tones about the health of New York City under his watch.
Introducing Mr. Bloomberg at a news conference, Jim Rodgers, the lord mayor of Belfast, said, “New York City is in an Ivy League all its own.”
The Political Interest
City politics do not end at the water’s edge.
At least two potential candidates for mayor traveled to Belfast as part of New York’s delegation, and both seemed ever-eager to reach out to the Irish community, a powerful voting bloc in the city.
Ms. Quinn, the Council speaker, frequently discussed her ties to the region and emphasized her familiarity with the political landscape.
“Here comes Gerry Adams, and he knows my name,” Ms. Quinn said at one point, referring to the head of Sinn Fein, the political affiliate of the Irish Republican Army.
Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. may not be on a first-name basis with Mr. Adams, but he does oversee the pension funds that have pledged to invest in Northern Ireland.
That was enough for Mr. Bloomberg, who ribbed the comptroller about his investment choice: “While some cynics back home might say that Bill is just courting the Irish voters back home — can you imagine that? — it’s actually a perfect example, seriously, of how good policy can also make good politics.”