Nearly a dozen young conservatives from Ireland will travel to Washington, D.C. next week to participate in Young America’s Foundation’s 44th annual National Conservative Student Conference. The lineup for this year’s conference includes Vice President Mike Pence, Governor Kristi Noem, Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, Betsy DeVos, Dr. Robbie George, and many more.
A similar group of Irish conservatives faced absurd backlash in 2019 from Irish media for attending the conference, which featured speakers like Vice President Mike Pence. One columnist for the Irish Times even told one student to “should shut up and listen,” while others called on the conservatives to resign from their positions in the Young Fine Gael.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing my friends at YAFCON again, 3 years since I last visited in 2019,” said Killian Foley-Walsh, former president of Young Fine Gael. “That year, I attended with a number of other young Irish conservatives which whipped elements of Ireland’s left-wing media and political establishment into a crazed frenzy of insulting editorials and demands for resignation. Try as they might, though, they failed to intimidate any of us then, and the bigger group we have heading back over this year shows they won’t intimidate us now either.”
“After 2 years of steroidal government interference in all our lives here and in the US, YAF’s ideals of personal liberty, responsibility and opportunity are more important than ever, and I can’t wait to hear a variety of engaging views from the variety of engaging speakers that YAF is known for,” he continued.
“I am absolutely delighted to be attending the 2022 National Conservative Student Conference,” remarked Lucy Kelly, another 2022 attendee. “It will be a chance for like-minded young people to meet and socialise while listening and learning a lot from each other and the excellent speakers. I am truly blessed to be given this opportunity of a lifetime.”
The students were recruited by the Edmund Burke Institute to attend this year’s conference.
“YAF is thrilled to welcome back these brave young conservatives to the United States after two years of government lockdown and tyranny,” said YAF Spokeswoman Kara Zupkus. “They will spend a week interacting with some of the top conservative leaders in the movement, and learning how to deepen their understanding on the pro-life movement, free market economics, and the importance of individual freedom.”
The event will be live-streamed in its entirety on Youtube.com/YAFTV.
