February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Forty members of the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives toured County Clare over the past few days while on a mission aimed at exploring new, and nurturing existing, business and tourism links between the U.S. and Irish Midwest regions.
The visit, hosted by Clare County Council, included visits to two Illinois-based companies based in the county as well as stops at popular tourist spots including the Cliffs of Moher, Dromoland and Bunratty castles.__
The visit was initiated earlier this year by then Mayor of Clare, Madeleine Taylor Quinn, during a visit to Chicago.
“This is a landmark visit for the entire region as it presents us with an excellent opportunity to develop new and existing links with Illinois, a state of almost 13 million citizens,” said Tom Coughlan, Clare’s county manager.
Senator John Cullerton, President of the Illinois Senate, and Michael Madigan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, headed the bipartisan delegation that included senators M. Maggie Crotty and Daniel Cronin, and State Representatives Daniel Burke and James Brosnahan.