On October 24th 50 guests welcomed Ireland’s first ever Texas Consul General, Adrian Farrell, to a reception in Houston, Texas. The luncheon was sponsored by John B. Kane, Ireland’s Honorary Consul in Houston, National Board Member of the AIF and Texas Regional Advisory Board Chairman.
The luncheon took place at the Houston Petroleum Club, a landmark Houston institution since its establishment in 1946 as a club of and for people of the oil industry. Those in attendance included many Irish and Irish-American leaders from Houston’s medical community, as well as those involved in energy, education and technology.
Honorary Consul John Kane welcomed everyone and introduced Consul General Farrell who thanked the guests for making him feel so at home in Texas since his arrival here just two months ago. He said he looked forward to working to increasing and expanding the community of people who were committed to connecting with Ireland professionally and personally. Consul General Farrell described the reasoning behind Ireland’s decision to invest in Texas and establish an Irish Consulate here. He also outlined a number of early connections and successes traceable to this decision. Consul General Farrell expressed his deep appreciation for the support of The American Ireland Fund and The Worldwide Ireland Funds. He thanked The American Ireland Fund for being a loyal and supportive friend to Ireland for the past 40 years, most especially for standing by Ireland during its recent economic crisis.
Honorary Consul Kane concluded the luncheon by presenting Consul General Farrell with a series of 7 striking historical panels which provided an overview of the history of the Irish in Texas. These pieces, commissioned by John Kane and created by David F. O’Keefe, trace the Irish influence throughout East Texas, Galveston, The Valley, Houston, North Central Texas, San Antonio and West Texas.
