Major Brexit conference in Kerry

DUP leader Arlene Foster, Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin and influential Scottish Government Minister, Michael Russell, will be part of a high-powered gathering of politicians and business leaders at a major conference in Kerry this month focusing on the impact of Brexit on Ireland, the UK and the European Union.

The Killarney Economic Conference will take place on January 12 and 13 next and it will concentrate on Brexit, the challenges it poses for business, the legal issues that will arise, how it will shape future politics and the impact it will have on daily life.

Matthew O’Toole, the former chief press officer at Number 10 Downing Street, has already been confirmed as a keynote speaker at the conference.

One of the conference organisers, Simon Kingston, said Brexit will have an influence on virtually every aspect of relations between Britain and Ireland and it makes the choice of topics and the timing of the conference particularly apt.

“We are delighted that such a broad cross-section of political leadership and opinion is represented. To have the leaders of the DUP and Fianna Fail present, alongside senior colleagues from other parties on both islands, is a great privilege,” he said.

“We are looking forward to hearing their different perspectives, as well as their reiteration of a shared interest in the prosperity of both the UK and Ireland,” he said.