“Ireland in 2021: The Outlook for Travel, Citizenship and Brexit” will be the featured topic presented by Kevin Byrne, Consul General of Ireland during a live presentation hosted by West Suburban Irish on Jan. 14. (Photo courtesy West Suburban Irish)
The West Suburban Irish (WSI) will host “Ireland In 2021: The Outlook for Travel, Citizenship and Brexit,” a live presentation beginning at 7PM Thurs., on Jan. 14, 2021. The online event, including Q&A, will feature Kevin Byrne, the new Consul General of Ireland to Chicago.
The event is open to the public and free to attend. Participants must register in advance. To check space availability, visit www.wsirish.org.
According to WSI host Kent Schieke, participants will gain an understanding of what to expect when traveling to Ireland in 2021, including who’s eligible and how to apply for an Irish passport as a US citizen.
Byrne also will address how Brexit will shape relations with Northern Ireland, the UK and the EU.
“More broadly, the new Consulate also will provide details of his the role and how it serves Irish and US citizens in Chicago, the Midwest and right here in Naperville,” added Schieke.
For more information about West Suburban Irish and to register for the free program on Jan. 14, visit www.wsirish.org.
Brief Bio / Consul General Kevin Byrne
Mr. Byrne was appointed Consul General to the Midwestern United States in September 2020. He joined the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in 2010 and has served in EU Division, Corporate Services, and in Ireland’s Consulate in San Francisco. He also worked in the Department of the Taoiseach – Prime Minister – where he planned Ireland’s successful 2013 Presidency of the European Union. Prior to taking up post in Chicago, Byrne was secretary to the Management Board of the Department and policy liaison with Áras an Uachtaráin – the office of the President.
Before joining the foreign service, Byrne worked in the European institutions in Brussels, the think tank sector in London, and taught in France and Japan. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, the London School of Economics, and a Naughton scholar. Kevin is married to his husband, Aristotle.
From his base in Chicago – a city with a strong Irish heritage – Byrne along with the Consulate team will be working to promote Ireland and Irish interests in the region and to further strengthen the links between Ireland and the Midwest.
Marching on with the West Suburban Irish
West Suburban Irish, Inc. is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. For more than 25 years WSI has promoted, nurtured and strengthened Irish culture in western suburbs of Chicago through a strong social network of members, volunteers, artists and enthusiasts. Their motto of “Friendship, Fun, Service” reflects their approach to fulfilling their mission through the arts, language, sport, cultural events and charitable giving.
The West Suburban Irish plan the annual Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade and starting in 2021 the Naperville Irish Fest.
Currently, with COVID-19 spread now exponential in every region of the state; therefore, plans for the 2021 St. Patrick’s Parade are in a “wait and see” holding pattern until the State, City of Naperville and DuPage County provide guidance. Thanks for checking back at www.wsirish.org after January 15, 2021, for additional information regarding entries and other ways to participate in the St. Patrick’s Parade, if forthcoming.
Note also WSI Quiz Nights are held on the first Tuesday of most months. Since the advent of COVID, the popular trivia games held at Quigley’s Irish Pub for more than a decade, have been virtual events, VQN, attracting 10-16 teams, Schieke added. Register in advance for the next VQN, slated to begin at 7PM Tues., March 2.
For more information, visit www.wsirish.org.
Submitted by Cynthia Cieckiewicz for the West Suburban Irish.
