Mayor Cahill Leads New Brunswick Delegation to Northern Ireland

Mayor James Cahill has set out on a trip to Northern Ireland as part of a meeting between the two cities to discuss partnerships between the two. 

According to a press release from the city, Cahill was joined on the trip to the city of Belfast by other New Brunswick representatives in the fields of development, education, the arts, dining and business.

A team from Belfast, including Belfast Mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, visited New Brunswick last year to discuss similarities and possible partnerships between the two cities, according to the release. 

“New Brunswick and Belfast have much in common. Both are centers for 
business, the arts and higher education and both have gone through significant 
revitalization, economic development and commercial growth,” Cahill said. 

Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi restauranteur Francis Schott, one of the New Brunswick representatives on the trip, said in his weekly email digest that the group is staying in The Merchant Hotel, in the center of Belfast's Cathedral District.

"The people of Belfast are so great and have so much in common with us," Schott said. "There is a life energy to these two cities, a common sense of renewal that they both share. Our peoples are smart and scrappy and witty and fun. We value our theaters and our public houses. We know the importance of sticking together in tough times and finding the craic in the good."

Schott said the purpose of the visit is to establish long-term exchanges in business, the arts, government and education. 

While Cahill is away, city planning director Glenn Patterson will serve as acting mayor, according to a report on NJ.com.