Canadian PM Mark Carney begins first bilateral visit to Ireland in nearly a decade, to sign trade framework and trace Mayo roots

Arrival and diplomatic schedule

Taoiseach Micheál Martin greeted Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney at Dublin Airport this morning. The Canadian prime minister will head directly to Government Buildings for a bilateral meeting and joint press conference. Later in the day, Carney will speak at Trinity College before attending an official state dinner at Dublin Castle, where he is expected to deliver a speech.

“It will be an excellent occasion to celebrate and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Canada. With such strong Irish heritage, it will also be an opportunity for Prime Minister Carney to celebrate and explore his Irish heritage, and I know Mayo is looking forward to welcoming him home.”

Economic partnership and CETA

During the meeting, Carney and Martin will announce a new bilateral cooperation framework covering trade and investment, life sciences, research and innovation, and security and defence. The visit comes as Ireland prepares to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), after the Oireachtas passed the Arbitration Amendment Act. Trade in goods and services between the two countries has more than tripled, rising from €3.2 billion in 2016 to €12 billion in 2024. Canadian investment in Ireland has grown by 131 percent over the same period, and Ireland is now Canada's eighth largest foreign investor.

Tracing Irish ancestry in Mayo

On Sunday, Carney will travel to Westport, County Mayo, the region from which three of his grandparents emigrated more than 100 years ago. He will meet President Catherine Connolly at Westport House before attending mass in the parish church and visiting Aughagower graveyard. The day ends with a civic reception in Westport. Carney held Irish citizenship since the 1980s but renounced it upon becoming prime minister, believing a Canadian leader should hold only that nationality.

European tour and G7 context

The Ireland stop is part of a six-day European tour. Carney was in France on Friday and will return there for the G7 summit in Evian, which runs from 15 to 17 June. Ahead of the visit, Carney said Canada is deepening ties with its closest and longest-standing partners in an increasingly uncertain world. About 4.4 million Canadians, or more than 12 percent of the population, claim Irish heritage.