Article by Ciara Phelan from the Irish Examiner
THU, 09 NOV, 2023
West Cork man battles blizzards to deliver message to Tánaiste, seeking support for organisations such as Ireland-Sino Institute. When Micheál Martin sat down to take questions from an audience at China Europe International Business School, he never expected to meet a man from West Cork.
“We made it through blizzards to get here today,” said Pat McCarthy, who made his way to Shanghai from Changtu county in the Liaoning province. He wasn’t joking. Heavy snow blanketed swathes of north-eastern China on Monday, shutting schools in the country’s first substantial snowstorm of the season.
Pat had an important message for his fellow Corkonian. He wanted more support from the Irish Government for organisations like his in Northeast China. Pat, originally from Clonakilty, runs the Ireland-Sino Institute, where he has been committed to developmental initiatives since 2012.
Pat McCarthy and his wife have dedicated their lives to fostering educational development in rural Liaoning Province, China. Their commitment is so profound that they have invested all their life savings into this noble cause, aiming to enhance learning opportunities for children in this region.
He said the two cities the Tánaiste visited during his tour — Shanghai and Beijing — are developed. “There are more underdeveloped areas; growth should be equal,” Mr McCarthy said. Mr Martin agreed and said it was a topic that emerged during his visit to the university, one of Mr Martin’s final events of his four-day stint in China.
“It’s great to hear a voice from West Cork,” Mr Martin said.
“I’m not surprised a family from West Cork would come through blizzards because West Cork was the key location in the struggle for Irish independence some 100 years ago.”
It appeared both men forgot they were in a room full of Chinese students and professors as they discussed the beauty of Ardfield. Martin told the crowd how he spent many summers in the area and said the best swim in Ireland is at Red Strand beach.
Wrapping up his visit, Mr Martin said his four-day visit to China was worthwhile politically, culturally, and for building back relations with China.
“China has certainly given us a message this week that they’re open for business and they want to retain that open global trading framework.”
