MaREI welcomes Government Officials and Delegates from Ireland, Wales and the Cork Chamber of Commerce

I am delighted to co-chair this second Ireland-Wales Forum with First Minister Drakeford today. It is an important opportunity to assess progress in our ambitious framework for Ireland Wales cooperation published last year. It is also an opportunity to deepen cooperation in important sectors such as renewable energy.

The Forum provides us with an ideal opportunity to further develop the wide range of projects and collaborative networks that have been built up through the Ireland Wales Programme, building on the strong economic, sporting and cultural ties which we have historically enjoyed

UCC and the ERI MaREI Centre were delighted to receive the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, the Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths and the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney as well many senior government officials to the Beaufort Building. This Irish/Welsh delegation was given a demonstration of the testing of floating wind and wave technologies at the Lir National Ocean Test Facility and held a roundtable discussion session with Irish stakeholders on the large scale roll out of offshore renewable energy. The event highlighted the synergies between Ireland and Wales in the offshore renewable energy sector and the willingness to maintain strong collaboration into the future.