Montana
Montana to draw closer to Ireland by creating trade commission
Jordan Hansen
(Daily Montanan) As Montana celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, a new agreement would tie Ireland closer to the Treasure State.
Senate Bill 320, brought by Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, which is awaiting the governor’s signature, will create the Montana-Ireland Trade Commission. Ireland has made an effort during the past few years to tie itself closer to American states and virtually identical bills have been brought in over a dozen other states, from South Carolina to Indiana.
“Some of the other states have created a Trade Commission, and I’m not sure how much follow through they’ve done,” Cuffe said in an interview with the Daily Montanan. “I intend for ours to hit the ground running.”
Montana has a significant Irish population, some of which stems from early mining activities in the state. Butte and Helena, for example, have a large number of residents with Irish heritage.
Cuffe also said he’s a direct descendant of Irish immigrants. But this isn’t a bill celebrating that, exactly, and Cuffe is serious about the partnership bringing more financial opportunities to the state.
“A lot of people, they think it’s funny, they think it’s cool,” Cuffe said of the partnership. “I happen to think it’s serious business. My goal is to make real things happen.”
Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is a European tech hub. Major companies have facilities in Dublin, including Google, Microsoft, and eBay, among others. Notably, following Great Britain’s exit from the European Union, Ireland is also the only English-speaking country in the EU.
Bozeman has developed into a tech hub in its own right, with companies such as Oracle setting up shop in Gallatin County. The state of Montana was also designated a “Regional Technology and Innovation Hub” by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2023.
There’s also an agricultural component too, and while there is a thriving beef industry in Ireland, the country imported 113 million pounds of beef in 2022. Cuffe also mentioned there are Montana companies looking to export hay machinery as well.
The cost for shipping the equipment is high, Cuffe said, and the hope is the trade commission will be able to connect buyers and sellers. Whiskey imports have also been mentioned.
Cuffe’s district is in northwestern Montana and the hope, too, is to be able to connect rural folks with more opportunities to move their product.
“If we can put together a bigger deal where they can ship, let’s just say, container loads that they share with other people, all of a sudden, what is impossible today becomes possible tomorrow,” Cuffe said. “That is my real inspiration, to try to help out the smaller hinterlands.”
The bill had very little opposition and through both the House and Senate, only two votes were cast against the bill — Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, and Rep. Caleb Hinkle, R-Belgrade voted against the commission on its third reading.
Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, carried the bill in the House. Leadership from both sides of the aisle signed on to the bill, which had which more than 100 sponsors across the two chambers.
No state money is being used for the commission, Cuffe said. Senate and House leadership — both majority and minority — will be able to appoint one person to the commission. The state’s directors of Commerce and Agriculture also will appoint a person to the commission and the governor will fill two slots. Appointments are for two years.
“I think the commission will be a really great opportunity to help facilitate business to business trade between Montana and Ireland,” Sullivan said in an interview with the Daily Montanan. “Operators and high tech businesses might have some exciting opportunities to learn how they can sell their goods into Ireland. And the commission will be a fun place to start helping facilitate those conversations.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Montana State squares off with Illinois State Monday night in the FCS national championship game at FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Bobcats are making their third trip to the title game in the past five seasons under coach Brent Vigen. The program is seeking its first championship since 1984.
MTN Sports has been on the ground in Nashville for the past five days covering the lead-up to the game, including the pregame show “Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest” hosted by Scott Breen and Kyle Hansen.
In it the MTN staff provides game previews, features, facts and figures and sights and sounds from the past several days in Music City in the run-up to the game. To watch, see the video reel below.
Watch: Bobcat Built – Montana State’s Championship Quest
Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports
Montana
Miley Cyrus Debuts Hannah Montana-Inspired Hair Transformation to Tease 20th Anniversary Plans
Though she hasn’t revealed what a celebration of the show’s legacy would look like, she did share why it’s so important for there to be one at all.
“For me, I love looking back at the growth for both of us because it’s very rare that someone grows up with their fanbase,” she explained. “When I was 15 years old, I’d look out and see 15-year-olds and now I’m a grown woman, I look out and see other grown people. So, what I want to do is honor the longevity of the relationship that we built.”
Having earned a Disney Legend award last year for her iconic role, the LOL star emphasized how the double-life pop star was so much more than a TV show character.
“Hannah Montana, it outgrew the fantasy,” she continued. “It became the reality of my life. Something that was about a regular girl getting to have this extraordinary life by being someone that she’s not and then turning my life and having this life because of being who I really am and authenticity. So getting to celebrate that—20 years is a long time.”
For a look back at Miley’s life from ordinary girl to rock star, read on…
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