Jameson distillery visit rounds off Murphy’s second event-filled day in Ireland

DUBLIN – After a day of meetings, announcements, and roundtables, Gov. Phil Murphy today ended his time in Dublin with a toast and reception at the Jameson whiskey distillery. The governor’s three-day, economic development-focused trip to Ireland will continue tomorrow in Cork, where his personal Irish ancestry lies. 

Murphy arrived in Ireland yesterday and immediately joined a delegation from the economic development nonprofit Choose NJ at visits to the Dublin College Library, home to the Book of Kells, and the Guinness Storehouse.

This morning began with a private meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, followed by a briefing from the embassy on the current state of the Irish economy and government. Murphy then went to a roundtable with Choose NJ delegates, representatives from New Jersey’s biggest universities, and 10 Irish business leaders to make the case for setting up shop in New Jersey.

The governor also announced one company on which his pitch had been successful: Applegreen, a Dublin-based service station operator that will move its U.S. headquarters to Glen Rock.

Following that announcement, Murphy met privately with Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Micheál Martin, after which he joined representatives from Irish and New Jerseyan universities and businesses for the signing of three memorandums of understanding.

Murphy then sat for an interview with the Irish radio journalist Joe Lynam and met with Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister Simon Coveney, before finally closing the day at the Jameson distillery.

Ireland is the fourth country to receive an official gubernatorial visit from Murphy; the governor went to Israel, Germany, and India during his first term.

At the final reception, which also served as something of the social crux of the trip, Murphy gave his thanks to the Irish governmental and business representatives who have received his delegation.

“We’ve had a heck of a 36 hours,” Murphy said. “To our Irish brothers and sisters, we cannot thank you enough for everything you do for our bilateral relationship.”