New York, NY: April 6, 2011  The President of the Ireland-U.S. Council, Dennis D. Swanson announced today that Dr. Michael Somers, Deputy Chairman of Allied Irish Banks and former Chief Executive of the National Treasury Management Agency, has agreed to serve as the new President of the Council’s Ireland Chapter. He succeeds Brian J. Goggin who has served since November 2004.

Mr. Swanson said “We in the Council are delighted that Dr. Somers has agreed to join the Council’s efforts to build business bonds between America and Ireland. He is well-positioned to offer unique insights and direction to the Council’s programs in Ireland. We look forward to working with him on Council initiatives as we work together to achieve the organization’s mission at this time of important challenges in Ireland-U.S. economic relations.”

Dr. Somers had been Chief Executive of the National Treasury Management Agency since its inception in 1990 until his retirement at the end of 2009. He had previously held the posts of Secretary, National Debt Management, in the Department of Finance, and Secretary of the Department of Defence.

Dr. Somers was Chairman of the group that drafted Ireland’s National Development Plan 1989-1993 and of the European Community group that established the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He is a non-executive director of Willis Group Holdings plc, Hewlett-Packard International Bank plc, Fexco Holdings and the European Investment Bank. He is also on the board of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group and of the Institute of Directors. He was awarded the honor of Chevalier in the Legion d'Honneur by the President of France.

Mr. Swanson added “We also extend our thanks and appreciation to Brian Goggin for his dedicated service and unfailingly generous commitment to the Council’s mission during the past seven years. This has been a period which has seen the Council’s Ireland Chapter grow in every respect – membership, programs and activities.”

The Ireland-U.S. Council was established in the Fall of 1962 by American and Irish business leaders with the aim of encouraging closer business links between Ireland and America. Its founding was in preparation for the visit of President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in the Spring of 1963, as a measure to build institutional form around a structure to improve business, economic and commercial relations between the two countries.

The Council operates a variety of scholarship programs, stages seminars and hosts frequent events in Ireland and in America aimed at developing communications and dialogue between business and political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic. The Council’s clear objective is to encourage closer business links between America and the island of Ireland.

The Council is a not-for-profit organization and has no partisan, political aims or affiliations. The Council's membership ranks are comprised predominantly of senior executives in business and financial corporations in America and in Ireland.