§ 29-36-1

Findingsthe Legislature finds that:Over 15 percent of West Virginias population is of Irish descent, which, according to the Irish diplomat Barbara Jones, represents a higher figure than that in Boston or New York City;The ties that bind Ireland to West Virginia are deep and lasting, reflected on West Virginias map from Ireland to Irish Mountain, from Tyrone to Tralee; andIrish heritage has been the fortunate lot of many great West Virginians, such as philanthropist Bernard P. McDonough, the inventor Michael Owens, and US Senator John Kenna;Ireland and West Virginia are attempting to reinvent their economies for success in the twenty-first century; andWest Virginians have both historic and practical reasons to desire the building of firmer commercial links with Ireland.