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DUP LEADER Arlene Foster and influential Scottish Government Minister Michael Russell will be part of a high-powered gathering of politicians and business leaders at a major conference in Killarney focusing on the impact of Brexit on Ireland, the UK and the European Union.

The Killarney Economic Conference will take place on January 12 and 13 and, in its inaugural year, it will concentrate on Brexit, the challenges it poses for business, the legal issues that will arise, how it will shape future politics and the impact it will have on daily life.

Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin and Matthew O’Toole, the former chief press officer at Number 10 Downing Street, had already been confirmed as keynote speakers at the conference, which will take place in The Brehon, in partnership with Killarney Convention Centre.

Ms Foster, renowned for her forthright views, and Mr Russell, who is spearheading the UK negotiations on Scotland’s place in Europe, are high-profile additions to the event which will see intense dialogue involving economic, civic and political leaders from Britain and Ireland.

One of the conference organisers, Simon Kingston, said Brexit will have an influence on virtually every aspect of relations between Britain and Ireland and it makes the choice of topics and the timing of the Killarney Economic Conference particularly apt. “We are delighted that such a broad cross-section of political leadership and opinion is represented by our speakers. To have the leaders of the DUP and Fianna Fail present, alongside senior colleagues from other parties on both islands, is a great privilege.

“We are looking forward to hearing their different perspectives, as well as their reiteration of a shared interest in the prosperity of both the UK and Ireland,” he said.

Another of the conference organisers, William Sheehan, remarked: “Geography and the ties of family and history mean that Ireland and the UK will remain intertwined and the plan is that the Killarney Economic Conference becomes an annual forum to explore and renew that relationship. I think the commitment of so many excellent speakers shows that this is a shared hope.”

“Arlene Foster, as we have seen, will be a key player in the Brexit process, and we are delighted to have her speak in Killarney and share her ideas on the future of the island,” he added.

The conference will open with a discussion on the legal implications of Brexit, led by Dr Georges Baur, the Assistant Secretary General of the European Free Trade Association, Gavin Barrett, Professor of European Constitutional and Economic Law at UCD and Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union Law and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge.

How Brexit will shape future politics will be discussed by Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster, Michael Russell, Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, Deputy Micheál Martin, TD, Michael Drakeford, Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Simon Kingston, who is co-conference organiser and a member of the executive committee of the British-Irish Association.

The impact on business will be discussed by Mark Kennedy, Managing Partner of Mazars Ireland, Prof Philip O’Regan, Dean of the Kemmy Business School at UL, John Cronin, Partner at McCann Fitzgerald, John McGrane, Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and independent financial analyst David Clarke.

Other key discussions, including the social and personal impacts of Brexit will be addressed by Prof Ursula Kilkelly, Dean of Law at UCC, Matthew O’Toole, the former Chief Press Officer at Number 10 Downing Street and Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane.

For more information or to book a ticket visit www.killarneyeconomicconference.com
 

 
Above: Dr William Sheehan, conference organiser; Prof Ursula Kilkelly, Dean of Law at UCC, and Micheál Martin TD, Fianna Fáil leader, at the launch of the inaugural Killarney Economic Conference. Pic: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision