MARY CARNEY, the Prime Minister of Canada, has announced he is to visit Ireland next week with a view to deepening ties between the two countries.
During his visit, Mr Carney will visit Co. Mayo, where two of his three Irish grandparents hailed from.
He will also visit Dublin as part of the first bilateral visit to Ireland by a Canadian Prime Minister in nearly a decade.
As well as Ireland, Mr Carney will undertake a bilateral visit to France, where he will also attend this year's G7 Summit.
"Ireland and France are two of Canada's closest and longest-standing partners," said Mr Carney.
"In an increasingly uncertain world, we are deepening these ties — and those across the G7 — to build greater certainty, security, and prosperity for Canadians and our partners across the globe."
Mr Carney's trip from June 11 to 17 will see him first head to Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
He will then travel to Ireland in what will be his first official state visit to the country to meet with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin.
Mr Carney has, however, visited Ireland previously and held Irish citizenship from the 1980s until he became Canadian Prime Minister last year when he was elected leader of the country's ruling Liberal party.
Mr Carney, then Governor of the Bank of England, gives a lecture at Iveagh House in Dublin in 2015 in honour of the late Canadian Minister of finance, Jim Flaherty (Image: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie)After his Dublin visit, Mr Carney will head to Co. Mayo for a meeting with President Catherine Connolly, the first official visit to the county by a Canadian Prime Minister.
During his time as Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 until 2020, he reportedly kept a map of the county on his wall to remind him of his roots.
Mr Carney's office has said that during his time in the country, he will focus on deepening the longstanding cultural and people-to-people ties between Canada and Ireland.
The visit will also see Mr Carney look to expand ties across sectors including agri-food, digital innovation, AI, pharmaceuticals and climate.
In 2025, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Ireland totalled $6bn, with Canadian exports to Ireland valued at $1.1bn and imports at $4.9bn.
"Ireland, France, and our G7 allies are vital, long-standing partners to Canada," read a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's office.
"Working with them, we can build a better, more just, more prosperous world for all."
Mr Carney will conclude his visit by returning to France for the 2026 G7 Summit in Évian from June 15 to 17.
There, he will look to strengthen Canada's international partnerships and build on the progress made during the country's G7 Presidency last year.
Everything from irishpost.com and the print edition is available on the Irish Post App — plus more! Download it for Android or Apple IOS devices today.
See More: Mark Carney
