At Dublin Airport beyond US immigration lies a piece of America and today the place is buzzing with tourists, students, business people and Irish-American families. With about 40 direct daily flights between Dublin and the United States, Ireland is the best connected country in Europe to America. Contrast that with Norway, a similarly small European country with three flights to the US a day.
We Irish and Americans have a deep connection. It is special bond, not so much one strategically fostered by diplomats as a friendship made at kitchen tables and singsongs at cousins’ weddings. The Irish are part of the great American story. This fondness is not exclusive to the 33-odd million Irish-Americans. That warm, fuzzy feeling is Irish ‘soft power’, bolstered by frequent contact between ordinary people. Every year about 10 per cent of the total population or 500,000 Irish people visit the States, while 1.5 million American tourists visit Ireland. Irish art – from movies to theatre, literature and music – flourishes in the US.
It’s not just culture – the pe
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