On the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s landmark visit to Ireland, on which he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit that country, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey used the last public event of her own trade mission to distill the pitch she’s been making all week to its essence.
“In this moment where there are some states in the United States that are going backwards on equality — that are taking away reproductive freedom, access to healthcare, denigrating our immigrant communities, taking away LGBTQ+ freedoms and protections — Massachusetts is standing very strong, and making sure we’re clear that we will be a welcoming place and an inclusive place,” Healey said to loud applause.
“It frankly makes for a better quality of life,” she added. “And it’s interesting, because the parallels between Ireland and the U.S. could not be more direct in that regard.”
This, effectively, is the case Healey has been making ever since she announced her first trade mission as governor, which kicked off Monday with a closed-press event at Enterprise Ireland, a government organization that supports Irish business looking to expand abroad. Wednesday's public discussion at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, which currently features an exhibit about JFK's historic visit, included attendees from both Ireland and Massachusetts.
At times, Healey made related but subtly different arguments.
For example, when she addressed the Irish Senate Tuesday on the 30th anniversary of the country decriminalizing homosexuality, Healey argued that people do better, more effective work when they’re able to fully express their identities. In that same speech, she cast Massachusetts and Ireland as united by a focus on businesses that accomplish morally significant goals, like creating lifesaving vaccines or fighting climate change.
In the end, though, Healey always returned to the core idea that animated her trip — namely, that increased trade between Massachusetts and Ireland makes sense because of a fundamental affinity in the way each place sees the world.
Just ten years ago, Healey would have been hard pressed to advance that claim. But in 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote — and in 2018, the country voted by a two-to-one margin to legalize abortion.
Massachusetts, meanwhile, was the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage 19 years ago, and has responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s revocation of the constitutional right to an abortion by bolstering protections for reproductive rights.
A few hours before the JFK event, Healey attended a clean energy roundtable, hosted by UMass Lowell, that focused on possibilities for expanding educational opportunities in that sector. Several academic leaders from Massachusetts and Ireland were present, including UMass President Marty Meehan and UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen.
Healey — who suggested Massachusetts could “lead the world” in its response to climate change — told participants it was exactly the type of event she’d hoped to facilitate by coming to Dublin.
While the publicly distributed schedule for Healey’s trade mission concluded today, she’ll attend a reception in honor of JFK’s trip hosted by Claire Cronin, the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, on Thursday night. She returns to Massachusetts on Friday.
In addition to a substantial contingent of individuals who could also make the case for increased Massachusetts-Ireland trade ties, Healey was also accompanied in Ireland by her mother, Tracy Healey-Battie, who attended the JFK panel that concluded Healey’s public schedule.
Afterward, with her mother at her side, Healey spoke briefly about the significance of having her mother join her for a trade mission in a country where they still have extended family.
“I’m delighted that my mom was able to join me, because we’ve visited Ireland together many times over the years — visiting cousins, coming back for weddings, different events — and so it was really special to be here with her,” she said.
Her mother echoed that sentiment.
“Obviously, it has been a unique experience for me,” Healey-Battie said. “I can’t help but use the word privilege. Maura and I have shared a great deal over the years, especially when she was becoming attorney, general, but … this is different.”
“It’s very difficult to describe,” she added. “It’s been a highly emotional experience.”
