New York Governor Kathy Hochul (65) will fly to Ireland this week to attend the Global Economic Summit and deliver a keynote address.
However, Irish officials have arranged several personal honours for Governor Hochul whose grandparents hailed from Kerry.
Both the Government and local authorities are determined to foster links with Governor Hochul who is seen as one of the most powerful Irish-American politicians after President Joe Biden.
Governor Hochul will be accorded a special civic reception by Kerry Co Council to honour her local roots.
Her paternal grandfather John Courtney hailed from Cutteen in the Maharees while her grandmother Mary Brown also hailed from the Kingdom.
Both emigrated to the US and married after meeting in Chicago.
The Courtney family eventually relocated to the Buffalo area of New York.
The special civic reception will be hosted by the council in Castlegregory – and Governor Hochul will be given a tour of her ancestral home and briefed on her local family history.
Senator Mark Daly will attend the reception and has paid tribute to Governor Hochul for her personal interest in her Irish roots and her commitment to fostering economic and cultural links between the two countries.
The Buffalo native replaced Andrew Cuomo as Governor of New York in 2021 after he stepped down following a controversy over inappropriate behaviour.
A graduate of both Syracuse University and Columbus School of Law, she worked in the legal field in the 1980s before serving as a legal advisor and consultant for several Democratic officials in New York.
She was later elected to the US House of Representatives and, in 2015, became Lieutenant Governor of New York.
In 2021, she became Governor following Governor Cuomo’s shock resignation.
Governor Hochul won re-election in 2022 in the closest race with Republicans for several decades.
Her victory was also the first time a woman had been elected New York Governor.
Governor Hochul is a mother of two and her husband is one of the highest profile lawyers in New York state.
The Governor will meet Taoiseach Simon Harris during her Irish visit.
She will be one of the keynote speakers at the Global Economic Summit which takes place at the Hotel Europe in Killarney from May 20-22.
Before visiting Ireland, she will attend a special conference on climate change in the Vatican and will meet Pope Francis.
Governor Hochul’s first overseas visit was to Israel last year in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack.
Over 400 business leaders will attend the Killarney event including Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation.
Other speakers will include EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Executive Director of Partnerships and Planning at INTERPOL, Darrin E. Jones, and global executives from Apple, Google, The World Food Programme and The World Bank.
