Debate contribution: USA-NI 250

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 24 March 2026.

MLA: Mr Gordon Lyons
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 24 March 2026
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Ministerial Statements
Heading: USA-NI 250
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5463021

Text

Yes, absolutely. I am proud to have been the Minister who has done so much to promote the contribution of the Scots Irish and the Ulster Scots. That story was not well known, but, at the event that I hosted on Capitol Hill, we had numerous senators, congressmen and congresswomen who were talking about it. That promotes interest in Northern Ireland, which can only be a good thing, and I welcome it. However, if it is to have a real legacy, it cannot just be about one year. We need to keep telling the story and making the contribution. I have therefore engaged with the America250 commission about legacy projects to see how we can ensure that the close connections that have been developed can continue. That will look at the possibility of more cultural exchanges, through which we can support our young people to go over there to learn and then come back, and other links that can be explored. It is important that we get real benefit out of this. I see it primarily as getting an advantage in heritage tourism, such as the work that we are doing through the Public Record Office, but there are many other things that we can do to keep those connections, and that can only be good for Northern Ireland through jobs and investment as well.
I thought that it was funny when President Trump cracked that joke, but not as funny as the reaction to it. It has perhaps been a comfort blanket for some on the other side of the House. The Member asked me whether I had considered a merger. I do not know whether he means a merger between the UK and the Republic of Ireland — we could certainly consider that — but, if he is talking about a merger between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, I can assure him that I have no intention whatsoever of exploring that one further.
In the 18th century, people from Ulster had great success in the United States. I believe that that could be the case again in America this summer. Unfortunately, they will have to go via Italy first this time, but I join the Member in wishing our football team well. However, let me say this: in his question, there is an opportunity for us to consider how there can be sporting connections between the United States and Northern Ireland as well. On Saturday evening in Belfast, I spoke to 130 US investors who have contributed to Carrick Rangers football team. We want to see more of that. It is about showing the opportunity that exists to invest not just in tourism and jobs but in sport. As Communities Minister, I will continue to do that.
Absolutely. The tourism offering in Northern Ireland was talked about frequently, particularly the links that exist between the United States and Northern Ireland. There was a high level of interest in that, and there is a huge opportunity during this 250th year. Numerous people were asking about what we have on offer and what people can come and see. This work has sparked a bit of interest, so we are going to capitalise on that. I encourage the Member to get in contact with Tourism Ireland. In fact, I encourage all Members to get in contact with Tourism Ireland. I am delighted that it recognises the importance of that, but we should continue to make the case for that sort of tourism that is based on our ancestry. I encourage people to go to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland as well.

604 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.

Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.14 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
No identity-based framing was identified (0.88).
Subject area: Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy.
The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.

This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.

Jev’s structured answers

Probability that each statement is true of this text (0 = no, 1 = yes). A criterion counts as met at 0.60 or above.
Question	Probability	Met?
Identity framing	0.13	No
Sectarian or communal antagonism	0.03	No
Cultural grievance politics	0.06	No
Dog-whistle messaging	0.14	No
Controversy escalation	0.24	No
Legitimate policy scrutiny	0.39	No
Overall judgement	0.14	At or below not-flagging threshold

Context and attribution (stance)
Option	Probability
No identity-based framing (chosen)	0.88
Reports or questions it	0.03
Criticises or condemns it	0.01
Adopts it	0.08

Subject area (top five)
Subject	Probability
Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy	0.48
Another identity-related subject	0.25
Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty	0.14
Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers	0.10
No identity-related subject	0.01

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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