US and Ireland

Ireland and the US share a long and deep history based on the large numbers of people who have left this island to settle in the US over the last 200 years. Today, over 34 million Americans, almost 10% of the population, claim Irish descent. Today, there are close ties between the two countries in many areas - cultural, economic and diplomatic. In trade and commerce, for example, Ireland’s globalised economy owes much to investment by American companies. 

At the Clinton Institute, the Ireland-US relationship is a core point of focus for teaching, research and outreach - and we have recently undertaken a series of research projects on this area. We also focus on aspects of Irish-America as a distinctive ethnic grouping in the US, analysing its demographics and culture and considering its future. 

In 2022, the Institute was invited by the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington to curate the Ireland page on their new Transatlantic Periscope platform that provides coverage of the most essential news, analysis, and data related to bilateral relationships between the United States and Europe. It brings together current commentary and analysis on key issues in Ireland-US affairs.

A key platform for promoting study of contemporary Irish-US relations is the annual Bridging the Atlantic symposium, an annual collaboration between the Clinton Institute, Queens University Belfast and the Global Irish Studies programme and the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University.

Please also see the Media section for commentary and podcasts on Ireland-US relations.

Projects, Publications and Events

Bridging The Atlantic

A key platform for promoting study of contemporary Irish-US relations is the annual Bridging the Atlantic symposium, an annual collaboration between the Clinton Institute, Queens University Belfast and the Global Irish Studies programme and the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University. Beginning with its first gathering in 2019, BTA has been a continuous project that seeks to spotlight issues of mutual concern in the USA, Ireland, and the EU—among them the US-EU relationship, transatlantic trade, and the current challenges of peace-building in Northern Ireland after Brexit.