How does the project work?

The Ireland-U.S. Council Foundation's Blueprint Ireland project carries out non-partisan research across a range of business sectors, among them:

●    Trade, market access, industrial policy

●    Financial services

●    Energy

●    Transport and tourism

●    Healthcare, pharmaceutical,

●    Communications

We measure, cost and compare options for a future Ireland, with a focus on maximizing the opportunities that could emerge from any future change on the island.

We review our research and reports with other organizations, institutions and interested parties, and we communicate our findings in the business community in Ireland and the United States and in the media.

We are developing evaluation a framework to ensure coherence -- so that all elements of our research work together, and can be costed as a whole.

We aim to provide for Irish Americans and all friends of Ireland an opportunity to contribute in a thoughtful and non-partisan way to the discussion on the future of the island of Ireland.

A timely, important and historic mission

The time to plan is now:

Politics can be volatile. No one knows if or when the U.K. government will call a referendum; it could be triggered by opinion polls in Ireland or Britain, by a new administration in London, or by the timing or outcome of a Scottish independence referendum.

However we do know, from Brexit and from German reunification, that if you don't have detailed plans in place you will not achieve the best outcomes.

It's an important mission:

The task of maximizing the opportunities of any change is significant. Right now, there are two very different economies on the island of Ireland. While the Republic has embraced free trade and made itself very attractive for Foreign direct investment, the North has lagged behind.

So it's important to use the time to plan intelligently.

At a historic moment:

This is a key moment for Ireland – one that many previous generations yearned for, but never reached.

Irish-Americans have always been a part of the Irish nation, going back to 1776 and further. The second paragraph of the 1916 Proclamation itself acknowledges the support of our “exiled children in America”. The Peace Process would not have occurred with Irish-Americans and the United States.

So it is appropriate that Irish Americans are part of the conversation and discussion that will shape Ireland for decades, perhaps centuries, to come.