Coming Home to Belfast with Máirtín Ó Muilleoir & Connla McCann
When you have a good story to tell, why not invite the world? For our Lost In Belfast series finale, we convene in the Titanic Hotel’s grand vaulted hall, where the ill-fated ship was designed. Hundreds have gathered from across local communities and from around the globe for the Belfast International Homecoming—civic leaders, elected officials, business executives, investors, entrepreneurs, culture makers…and two peripatetic podcasters. Co-host and a Belfast Homecoming Ambassador himself, Jo...
When you have a good story to tell, why not invite the world?
For our Lost In Belfast series finale, we convene in the Titanic Hotel’s grand vaulted hall, where the ill-fated ship was designed. Hundreds have gathered from across local communities and from around the globe for the Belfast International Homecoming—civic leaders, elected officials, business executives, investors, entrepreneurs, culture makers…and two peripatetic podcasters.
Co-host and a Belfast Homecoming Ambassador himself, John Lee spoke with the event’s creator Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, a former Lord Mayor, long-time publisher, and Irish Stew alum and Connla McCann, who organizes this and many other high-profile events on both sides of the Atlantic as co-founder and director of Aisling Events.
We glean their insights on the purpose, evolution, outcomes, and future of this much anticipated annual event (returning Sept. 25, 2025), and grab soundbites from Dan Dennehy--VP Council for American Ireland Relations, Bryan O’Dwyer, a New York lawyer dedicated to advancing Ireland’s cause in the United States, and Smuggling Nun Poitín’s Maura Clare, another past Irish Stew guest and a 2024 Belfast Homecoming Ambassador.
We also heard about the Homecoming’s sister event, the New York New Belfast Luncheon Conference, coming to the stately New York Athletic Club on Thurs., June 12. See the link below for last-minute tickets!
So, we are lost no more—we found our way home to Belfast.
We thank Tourism Ireland for all their support and Máirtín and Connla for inviting us to the Belfast Homecoming!
Links
- 2025 New York New Belfast Conference - Thu, Jun 12
- 2025 Belfast International Homecoming - Thu, Sep 25
- Aisling Events
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
Connla McCann
Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 21; Total Episode Count: 124
00:00 - Introduction
03:08 - Why A Belfast Homecoming?
06:32 - Mixing it up at the Homecoming
09:57 - Homecoming: Prosperity and Peace
12:34 - Building Bridges Between Belfast and NYC
14:45 - Resetting the International Reach of Belfast
16:17 - Voices From the Belfast HomeComing
19:29 - Connla McCann on Aisling Events
21:13 - Homecoming and Peace Building
24:24 - Creating Event Synegy
25:31 - Getting it Right on Event Day
26:34 - Building Belfast Partnerships
28:18 - Homecoming Business Successes
30:07 - New York New Belfast Conference
33:59 - Back to Belfast in 2025
35:19 - John Recaps
36:16 - Credits
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
Former Belfast Lord Mayor and Newspaper Publisher
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir is Aisling Events’ Co-Founder & Director, publisher at the Belfast Media Group and at the Irish Echo in the US. The Irish Echo, established 1928, is the oldest and biggest newspaper serving Irish Americans across 50 States.
A former Finance Minister in the Executive and a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Máirtín has been involved in community-building for four decades.
He is a founding partner of the North Ireland Growth Fund which is aiming to raise $100m to invest in early-stage companies seizing economic opportunities in Ireland’s 12 northern counties.
He has authored several books in Irish and English, is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and has received several awards for his community commitment, most notably an honorary doctorate from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, USA and the Tolerntia Laureate Award for support of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2023, he served as Honorary Grand Marshall of the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Huntsville, Alabama.
He is a keen runner and is married to Helen O’Hare. The couple have four grown-up children.
