A west Wicklow councillor has called on his fellow council members to boycott St Patrick’s Day parades in the United States this year, citing solidarity with Irish citizens deported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Cllr Seán O’Neill argues that official participation in the parades would validate an administration he claims has acted against Irish nationals.

Historical Context of the Boycott

This is not the first time Cllr O’Neill has raised concerns about US policies. Last year, he also called for a boycott of US St Patrick’s Day events, citing the US administration’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict as a key reason. He aligned with a broader movement in Ireland to “stand on the side of humanity” and protest what he described as injustices in Gaza.

O’Neill has consistently criticized the use of public funds for overseas travel by council members. In 2019, he attended the Omaha St Patrick’s Day parade in Nebraska as grand marshal using his own money, and he has also participated in events in O’Neill City, the same state, on two other occasions.

Funding and Council Motions

In 2023, Cllr O’Neill challenged the use of Local Property Tax funds to pay for trips abroad, arguing that the public sees no tangible benefit at a local level. At the January meeting of Wicklow County Council, he proposed a motion to boycott US events, stating it would be an “ideal way of telling Trump and his bully boys and the world that we don’t approve of him.”

During the latest monthly meeting of the council, O’Neill reiterated his stance, highlighting the significant number of Irish people deported and detained in the US over the past 12 months. He suggested that ignoring the annual trip to America would be a more impactful statement than attending parades in Washington or New York.

Council Response and Twinning Relationships

In response to O’Neill’s concerns, Wicklow County Council chief executive Emer O’Gorman noted that two councillors will travel abroad this year. She explained that visits to the US are typically by invitation, citing the twinning relationship between Bray Municipal District and Dublin, California, as well as the Wicklow Association’s involvement in the New York St Patrick’s Day parade.

O’Gorman emphasized the importance of supporting the Irish diaspora during times of difficulty and noted the strong ties between the Wicklow community and those in the US. Cathaoirleach Melanie Corrigan echoed these sentiments, stating that despite challenges in the US, it is crucial to show support to the diaspora and maintain communication with them.

While O’Neill’s motions are often outvoted by the council majority, the majority maintains that international twinning relationships require in-person representation. Leas Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Caroline Winstanley, will make the trip this year to Dublin, California, a city with a population of 72,932 that has been twinned with Bray since the mid-1980s.

The twinning began in the mid-1980s after Sister Cities International denied Dublin, California, a pairing with Dublin, Ireland, preferring to match “little, tiny cities” with smaller partners like Bray. The official relationship was solidified in the late 1990s to create a globally connected community, and it was reaffirmed in March 2023 with business meetings at Bray Town Hall to explore future collaborations in tourism, enterprise, culture, and education.

Recorded instances of official county council delegations to the New York parade began as early as 2010, with similar delegations noted in 2012, 2023, and most recently in 2025. These visits are typically used to promote Wicklow as a destination for US investment and tourism through meetings with the Irish Development Agency (IDA) and Tourism Ireland.

While the council chair’s attendance is more recent, a Wicklow banner commissioned by the Co. Wicklowmen’s Association has been held high in the New York parade since the early 1960s. However, Simon Harris, the only Wicklow representative in Leinster House scheduled to travel abroad for St Patrick’s Day, will be in Paris, France, and London, United Kingdom, as part of the Irish Government’s international outreach programme. Harris, the Tánaiste and Finance Minister, is not heading to the US this year.