'Boxer' to attend St Patrick's events in four Australian cities

Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran is due to attend St Patrick's week celebrations in four Australian cities next month.

The Athlone man, along with every other Government Minister and Minister of State, will be travelling abroad to represent Ireland at events marking the national holiday.

This will be his fourth trip overseas as a Minister of State for St Patrick's Day, after he previously attended celebrations in Kenya (2018), Poland and Czech Republic (2019), and Portugal (2025).

His nine-day visit to Australia is scheduled to involve travel across the country to attend meetings and events in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra.

The trip will begin with arrival into Perth, in Western Australia, on the evening of Tuesday, March 10. The following day, 'Boxer' is to attend a "briefing and working lunch" with "Team Ireland colleagues" prior to a dinner at the Parliament of Western Australia.

On Thursday, March 12, meetings are scheduled with two Ministers in the Government of Western Australia, Paul Papalia and Dublin-born Stephen Dawson, while that evening a Western Australia Irish community reception will take place, hosted by Ireland’s Honorary Consul in Perth, Marty Kavanagh.

On Friday, March 13, the itinerary includes a visit to a "war memorial and/or Fremantle prison," a stop at Claddagh Association, an Irish community welfare group, and a dinner with invited Ministers and officials from the Western Australian Government.

On the morning of Saturday, March 14, 'Boxer' will attend the Perth St Patrick's Day festival before flying to Sydney, on the east coast of Australia, that evening.

His time in Sydney will be limited, as he will be attending its St Patrick’s Day parade and festival on the morning of Sunday, March 15, before flying to Brisbane later in the day.

On March 16, the Minister for Ireland's Office of Public Works will be meeting with counterparts from the Queensland Department of Public Works, and subsequently meeting with Brisbane City Council, before attending a Queensland Irish Association St Patrick's Eve dinner.

On St Patrick's Day itself, 'Boxer' will fly from Brisbane to Australia's capital, Canberra, for an Embassy of Ireland St Patrick's Day reception.

His journey back to Ireland will begin from Canberra airport on March 18, with arrival into Dublin on the morning of Thursday, March 19.

James Lawless, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, will also be representing the Irish Government at St Patrick's-themed events in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney next month, while Minister of State Noel Grealish is travelling to New Zealand.

Boxer's fellow Westmeath Ministers, Peter Burke and Robert Troy, are both US-bound for the national holiday, with Minister Burke travelling to New York and Minister of State Troy heading to the city of Austin in Texas.