DUBLIN – Canada and Ireland have agreed to work together on key issues like artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology and food security, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Dublin Saturday.
During a press conference with Ireland’s head of government Micheal Martin, Carney said his visit was about “strengthening a relationship that is already flourishing.”
He said the countries have complementary strategies in artificial intelligence. Ireland produced its AI strategy last winter, while Canada published its own AI plan earlier this month.
Carney also said Canada and Ireland will expand their co-operation in life sciences, including skills development for students and more resources for researchers. He added that Canada will work to open a regenerative medicine hub in Ireland.
Carney’s visit to Ireland is the first by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau visited the Emerald Isle in 2017.
In his remarks, Martin said Canada and Ireland agreed to work together on “some of the greatest challenges facing the world,” noting AI, climate action and trade.
“It is a structured, practical road map for a deeper partnership, one that will bring benefits to people in both of our countries,” said Martin.
Martin said his meeting with Carney confirmed his “genuine confidence and optimism” about the trajectory of the Ireland-Canada relationship.
On Saturday afternoon, Carney took part in a discussion on transatlantic ties between Canada and Europe at Trinity College Dublin. He received a standing ovation and round of applause as he entered the building.
In his speech, Carney said Ireland and Canada are navigating a global rupture together.
“Canada, Ireland and Europe are increasingly and immediately vulnerable to once-distant threats,” he said. “Amidst this disruption, Canada, Ireland and Europe can be pivotal, powerful and purposeful — a force for good.”
Carney’s visit to Ireland is part of a larger six-day trip to Europe. Earlier this week, the prime minister met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Later this week, he will attend the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains.
Europe plays a dominant role in Carney’s vision for rebuilding the international order and building a dense web of connections to wean Canada off its decades-long reliance on the United States for trade and security partnerships.
In his Davos speech that got global reception in January, Carney called on middle powers to band together in the face of great powers flexing their muscles. On Saturday, he said that includes Ireland.
Carney will later attend and deliver remarks at an official dinner hosted by Martin at Dublin Castle.
Martin was set to lead a trade mission to Canada in April, though the government cancelled the trip amid large protests in Ireland over fuel prices.
Last September, Martin released a report that his government commissioned the Conference Board of Canada to undertake, which aimed to position Ireland as “Canada’s gateway to the European Union.”
The report said Canada could boost exports to Ireland in financial and air transportation services, as well as management and consulting. Ireland, it said, could sell more computer services as well as insurance and pension services.
Ireland, which has become a major centre for foreign investment and international tech companies, is set to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July and is looking to introduce new digital policies.
Deirdre Giblin, head of the Ireland Canada Business Association, said the two countries have “an emerging relationship” that has seen Irish exports to Canada nearly quadruple in value since 2018, after a trade deal between Canada and the EU, known as CETA, came into force.
The deal has only been provisionally in effect since 2017 because Ireland is among 10 countries that still haven’t fully ratified the deal, following concerns about trade tribunals and national sovereignty.
Giblin said Ireland is likely to fully ratify the CETA deal two to three weeks after Carney’s visit, as the government’s ongoing reform of its arbitration law is wrapping up.
“Essentially, it’s gone through the most significant part of its journey,” Martin said of CETA on Saturday.
Carleton University Fen Osler Hampson said the visit to Ireland is strategic for Canada as it’s helpful to have Ireland in its corner as it assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
He noted those ties may help Canada as it seeks to deepen relations with Europe on defence, security, energy, AI and critical minerals. With CETA yet to be ratified, Hampson also said Carney could ask Ireland to encourage other countries to get on board.
Giblin said Carney’s rhetoric around diversifying while navigating American shifts resonates for Ireland, which has grappled with continuous economic shocks in the U.K. in the years since Brexit.
However, Hampson said Ireland will likely try to avoid making any criticisms of the U.S. during the visit as it’s highly dependent on foreign direct investment from the U.S., especially in pharmaceuticals and tech, where companies have taken advantage of its favourable tax laws to establish their operations.
Over recent months, controversy has brewed in Ireland over exports fuelling Russia’s war on Ukraine. Ireland is technically a neutral country, but has voiced support for Ukraine and resettled many Ukrainians.
The Aughinish Alumina refinery was opened by Canada’s Alcan but was transferred to Russian owners in 2007. The plant has been supplying Russian smelters with Irish alumina — the chemical compound used to produce aluminum — which is reportedly feeding military supply chains, and investigations are ongoing.
Carney said Saturday he would discuss the issue with Martin over lunch.
On Sunday, Carney heads to his family’s ancestral home in County Mayo, where he’ll meet with Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Carney’s grandfather Robert Carney and grandmother Nora Moran were both from the town of Aughagower, in County Mayo. They immigrated to Canada in the early 1920s.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2026.
—With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa
