Council confident Beara’s Boston trip will reap economic rewards for West Cork

A SPECIAL trip to strengthen the bond between Beara and Boston could help bring long-term investment into West Cork.

That’s the hope of Cork County Council after a delegation travelled to Massachusetts following an invitation from the president of Boston City Council, Ed Flynn, to mark 300 years of the Irish contribution to the state of Massachusetts.

Seven councillors were on the trip, and they joined representatives from Beara Tourism and the Boston Beara Society for the Stateside visit.

The trip was estimated to have cost Cork County Council around €40,000 but it is hoped they will reap the rewards economically in future.

County mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn led the delegation which included councillors from both Cork County Council and Kerry County Council, representing both sides of the Beara peninsula. The delegation’s mission was to build upon existing relationships while to cultivate economic and tourism opportunities for Cork in the US.

One of the highlights of the visit saw a reception at Boston City Hall where Mayor O’Flynn met Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and President of Boston City Council Flynn before delivering a keynote speech to Boston City Council. 

The Beara delegation also met with representatives at the Massachusetts State House, the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the Governor’s Office.

Meetings were also held with business leaders and the Boston Irish Business Association. 

Beara Tourism’s Jim O’Sullivan, one of the organisers of the trip, said the trip honoured the the legacy of John Owen O’Sullivan, which had been neglected until now, while it also strengthened the links with Boston and Beara.

Kelly O’Sullivan,  the granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, the youngest  of the five Sullivan brothers who lost their lives aboard the USS Juneau during the Second World War, was  the international chieftain of the O’Sullivan clan at a reception on board the USS Constitution. The five O’Sullivan brothers were from Adrigole in Beara, and all five were in a Japanese submarine torpedo attack. After their deaths US war department adopted ‘the sole survivor policy’ so the loss of so many siblings could never happen again.