Six years ago John Lewis joined another remarkable peace activist from Northern Ireland, the other great John, on the Peace Bridge in Derry.
Rest in peace John Hume.
๐ค
Your legacy, like that of John Lewis, will live on in the countless lives you have influenced by your example.
Today is
#StBrigidsDay
, one of Irelandโs patron saints & a traditional Gaelic festival marking the start of spring. St Brigid also linked to an older sister: The ancient Celtic Goddess of fertility, healing & poetry. In Ireland, it is another day to celebrate the power of Women!
Before the activation of my new official
@IrlAmb_Delhi
account I wanted to announce my arrival in New Delhi as Irelandโs Ambassador designate to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.
A very warm welcome this morning from Embassy team. Very happy to be here!
Very honoured to have been elected today
@IntlCrimCourt
. I believe passionately in restorative power of justice & the critical role played by
@TFV_FPV
in ensuring that victims & survivors of the worst crimes are front & centre in the administration of criminal justice
@dfatirl
Today, Ireland's ๐ฎ๐ช own Mr Kevin Kelly was elected to the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims
@TFV_FPV
of
@IntlCrimCourt
by acclamation
#ICC_ASP20
.
Congratulations to former Ambassador to ๐ณ๐ฑ
@kevinthehague
and the Board Members on their election! ๐
Memorable if nostalgic๐ขmorning for me as I was received for a farewell audience by ๐H.M. King Willem-Alexander in The Hague.
Very pleasant discussion with His Majesty looking back on five momentous years.
Will miss this wonderful country and such warm Dutch hospitality
๐ฎ๐ช๐๐ณ๐ฑ
๐ข to hear of passing of this giant of a man. Prof Fr Michael Kelly died in his beloved Zambia.
What a life. Educator. Activist. Champion of the rights of people with HIV when it was still an early scary phenomenon. Always proud of Irish roots but Always in love with Africa.
Fair dues!
Norwayโs Ambassador
@MartinSoerby
finally wears the badge I gave him to promote Irelandโs bid for election to the UN Security Council!
We were both elected last night and will work together hand in hand with 13 other states to promote global peace and security.
๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ด
Thank you to all who have put your faith in Ireland. We will do our level best to live up to that trust and confidence. Now the work begins!
#GlobalIreland
Ireland has been elected to the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 term ๐ฎ๐ช๐บ๐ณ
Members of the UN have honoured Ireland by placing their trust in us to take a seat at the Security Council & to do our best to further the objectives of peace, conflict resolution & security for all.
An honour to be in Kigali this morning representing Ireland at the 25th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide
#Kwibuka25
event. Pleased to see Europe represented at highest level by Jean-Claude
@JunckerEU
Ireland continues to stand with Rwanda in solidarity and friendship ๐ฎ๐ช ๐ท๐ผ
What an experience to be able to join our Irish
@defenceforces
on last km of their
#4daagse2019
march in beautiful Nijmegen.
Proud of our Defence Forces who undertook this grueling 4 day challenge and from the reception, obviously made friends along the way!
#รglaighnahรireann
Thanks
@EricaSchoutenNL
for such a warm send off today in The Hague.
And for giving me the chance to speak about 5 great years in this great country.
Our Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ฑrelationship has never been stronger thanks also to you and your team
@DutchMFA
๐
Delighted to receive newly arrived Ambassador
@onduhungirehe
from Rwanda here
@IrelandinNL
today.
Olivier brings immense experience to his new role and I really look forward to working with him.
Having had a long history of living in Rwanda, Iโm always delighted to reconnect!
Today is the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
The achievements of the peace process must never be taken for granted.
We must work to protect and uphold the Agreement & its vision for reconciliation, equality, respect for rights & parity of esteem.๐
Tomorrow the Embassy of Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช
@IrelandinNL
in The Hague will fly our flag at half mast as a gesture of sympathy and solidarity with the Netherlands ๐ณ๐ฑ, the victims of this tragedy and the people of Utrecht.
Ar dheis Dรฉ go raibh a n-anamacha dรญlse
The
@IrlEmbIndia
in New Delhi is bearing the Ukrainian flag as a mark of respect and a show of absolute solidarity with Ukraine against Russian aggression.
As long as it takes, Ireland๐ฎ๐ช will stand in solidarity with Ukraine๐บ๐ฆ.
#StandwithUkraine
#24Feb2022
Three years ago today I presented my credentials to HM The King ๐ of the Netherlands.
How time flies when youโre
#working4IRL
in a busy posting like
#theHague
!
Four years ago today I presented my credentials to HM King Willem-Alexander. What a great four years. The world has changed so much since then.
Interesting however to see that the King,
@yokabrandt
and I were social distancing even before it was de rigeur...๐
Great visit so far to The Hague by Taoiseach
@LeoVaradkar
and Minister
@HMcEntee
with Prime Minister Mark Rutte
@MinPres
. Strong bilateral relations between Netherlands ๐ณ๐ฑ & Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช. A lot in common and excellent personal rapport. Together on the road to Sibiu! ๐ช๐บ
Reprising this!
Today is
#StBrigidsDay
, one of Irelandโs patron saints, A traditional Gaelic festival & Start of Spring. Brigid also linked to an older sister: The ancient Celtic Goddess of fertility, healing & poetry.
In Ireland, another day to celebrate the power of Women! ๐๐ผ
An inspiring start to the day...๐๐ผ
Breakfast with ๐ฎ๐ช former President Mary Robinson, Chair of
@TheElders
Mary in the The Hague to speak about nuclear disarmament, a challenge facing our world as serious & potentially catastrophic as the climate crisis.
Maryโs call: โWake Up!โ
What a great gift to meet up once again with the legendary Professor Fr Michael Kelly on the eve of his 90th birthday.
Missionary. Academic. Activist. Humanitarian.
In Zambia since the 1950s Michael represents what we are proudest about in the story of Ireland in Africa.
#Hero
Very excited tomorrow night to take part in the first ever
#GlobalGreening
bike parade in Amsterdam by
@TourismIreland
. We will cycle ๐ดโโ๏ธ through the city on green lit bikes. A perfect Dutch/Irish combo!
#StPatricksDay2019
Hoping the Dutch/Irish weather will stay away! โ๐ฝ
@dfatirl
Every year, the world goes green for St Patrickโs Day!โ This book celebrates the 10th anniversary of the global greening, and tells the story of how Ireland has captured the imagination of people in Canada, and all across the globe ๐ ๐
On
#InternationalWomensDay
I want to celebrate the woman whoโs had most influence on me. My mother Teresa is a trailblazer in many ways:
The first of her family to get 3rd level education, she was a career woman in rural Ireland in the 1960s when they were few & far between ๐๐ผ
Sorry to hear of passing of a wonderful Irish Missionary Sr Dr Maura Lynch. Died in her beloved Uganda after years of service as a doctor-surgeon and obstetrician. Maura was recognised for her ground-breaking work with women devastated by obstetric fistula in Africa.
@dfatirl
Great to see the Wolves team from
@cricketireland
give their all against Nepal in beautiful Kathmandu!
Here they are having some downtime hosted by
@madalasha
from our excellent Honorary Consul team in Nepal.
#GoWolves
๐บ. Go
@CricketNep
Feels like a lifetime ago but OTD only 2 years ago, the incomparable
@PantiBliss
represented ๐ฎ๐ช with distinction asโญ๏ธ of the diplomatic corps
#equalrightscoalition
boat at Amsterdam
#Pride
A memorable day still spoken about with pride in the Netherlands!
@dfatirl
@IrelandinNL
Love this recruitment campaign by
@dublinbusnews
๐
Dubliners will appreciate the reference to the many, many ways people thank the driver while hopping off the bus. Itโs the law!
@LovinDublin
@TourismIreland
Wonderful to have the opportunity to bid farewell to Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the residence of
@annikamarkovic
Celebrating a remarkable contribution to international criminal justice
@IntlCrimCourt
30 years ago Mary Robinson, ๐ฎ๐ชโs first female President, placed a lamp in the window of the รras, a symbol of welcome to the
@GlobalIrish
.
Tonight, led by
@PresidentIRL
, weโll
#ShineYourLight
in ๐ณ๐ฑ & across the ๐, an act of social solidarity at a time of physical distancing.๐ฏ
Great start to 2020 this morning in the Palace in Amsterdam as King Willem-Alexander & Queen Mรกxima greet diplomatic corps.
Important messages about the importance of diplomacy & international relations in a challenging world.
& nice to catch up with colleagues in their finery!
โPeople literally would be dead right now if it werenโt for our people like Mick.โ
@WFP
's Mick Ryan died in the Ethiopia plane crash.
@WFPChief
told me: โHe is the World Food Programme. Men and women like Mick, every day, putting their lives literally on the line.โ
Iโm in the Hook of Holland to lay an Irish wreath to mark
#Dodenherdenking
,
#RemembranceDay
. Iโm remembering all those who died in WWII. Including Irish soldiers who died in their thousands. At 8pm we observe 2 minutes of silence as a sign of respect.
@IrelandinNL
@dfatirl
๐๐ฝ
Out for a (slow!)๐๐ป on my last weekend in lovely Dun Laoghaire for a while ๐ข.
Love
#Working4Irl
in
@IrelandinNL
and am really excited about the year ahead in The Hague, but saying slรกn to this is the hard bit!
One of the highlights so far of the Dutch Royal ๐ Visit to Ireland has to be the visit to
@tcddublin
to see the amazing Fagel Collection of manuscripts, maps and texts of Dutch origin. A real treasure & another cultural tie that binds our countries ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ช
#OranjeAndGreen
#NLIRL
Wonderful start to State Visit to Ireland by their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Mรกxima.
Here they are greeting the Irish delegation at รras an Uachtarรกin, Dublin
#OranjeAndGreen
#NLIRL
This is my predecessor Josephine McNeill, ๐ฎ๐ช first Envoy to the NL as she made a donation in response to the devastating Dutch floods in 1953
Will hearJosephineโs story & those of subsequent generations of Dutch & Irish women diplomats in
@PeacePalace
tomorrow!
#womenindiplomacy
Ireland has been in continuous service overseas since June 28th, 1958. In total, around 70,000 individual tours of duty.
#working4irl
. Proud of Irish Peacekeepers and their contribution to international peace & security!
@DF_COS
@dfatirl
#GlobalIreland
โ๏ธ
We stand with you at this difficult time. Deeply saddened that three people have lost their lives in the terrible attack today in Utrecht. Our thoughts go to the families & loved ones of those lost and to those injured.
Thank you to Dutch security services for your response.๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ
We in
@IrelandinNL
are very sad today to hear of the passing of one of our own. Michael was a much respected Deputy ambassador in The Hague and is fondly remembered by our team. RIP
Tributes paid to Irelandโs deputy ambassador to China who died on Sunday
Waiting for Their Majesties to arrive in the Hall of Knights for the grand
#Prinsjesdag
opening of Dutch parliament 2019.
Just time for a quick selfie before the no camera rule applies.
Ok we take no chances tonight. Irish people will understand our โ๏ธ
#childaprague
tradition!
Itโs an Irish intercession for good weather on the eve of a special occasion. Tomorrow weโre honoured to welcome King Willem-Alexander & Queen Mรกxima to Ireland! ๐
#OranjeAndGreen
#NLIRL
Delighted to meet with His Majesty ๐ King Willem Alexander this morning in Royal Palace Amsterdam. A very nice Dutch New Yearโs Tradition. Met ambassadors from all around the world including Joy-Ann Skinner (see photo) from Barbados who speaks in a lilting Irish accent!
@dfatirl
As muslims gather in Croke Park to celebrate Eid Al Adha, Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri says โIreland is indeed a country of cรฉad mรญle fรกilteโ. | Read:
Today one of the highlights of my time in India so far. Meeting the amazing โฆ
@kiranshaw
โฉ who represents ๐ฎ๐ช with such distinction for years as Honorary Consul in Bengaluru.
What a woman: Scientist, Entrepreneur, Trailblazer, Philanthropistโฆ
And a real ๐ for Ireland!
Am always proud of the amazing contribution of Irish peacekeepers - An unbroken record of service since the 1950s
And doubly proud that our General Maureen OโBrien Irish
@defenceforces
is now highest ranking female UN Peacekeeper
#globalIreland
#WPS
#womenpeaceandsecurity
Iโm encouraged that an increasing number of women are taking leadership positions in
@UNPeacekeeping
operations.
A warm welcome to Brig. Gen. Maureen OโBrien (Ireland) joining UNDOF, Golan; and Brig. Gen. Constance Edjeani-Afenu (Ghana) in MINURSO, Western Sahara.
Team Ireland getting ready this morning to play our part to help create a world free of Chemical Weapons at the
@OPCW
in The Hague
@DisarmamentIRL
#CSP23
Wheels Up! โ๏ธ Thanks for all the assistance from the excellent Protocol Department of
@DutchMFA
for a short but very productive visit by Taoiseach
@LeoVaradkar
to The Hague. Both Prime Ministers now en route to Sibiu for EU Summit.
Want to share this statement by my Minister
@simoncoveney
because I also have seen firsthand the important life-saving work of
@UNRWA
in Gaza and elsewhere. Iโm proud that Irish Aid will continue to support the people most affected by this ongoing conflict.
Tรกnaiste
@simoncoveney
has reacted to the US decision to end all funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Full Statement available at
On Friday, the Embassy team said goodbye to Ambassador
@kevinthehague
๐ข
@IrelandinNL
wants to thank the Ambassador for his important work for ๐ฎ๐ช over the past five years & for his support & guidance to the team ๐
@kevinthehague
will be missed and we wish him all the best! ๐
โIt just feels more like home todayโ
So good to hear hopeful and optimistic vision of Irelandโs future expressed by
@fotoole
to
@CNN
โs Becky Anderson. At a time of international unease Iโm proud of this partic. news story which has grabbed the worldโs headlines today
@dfatirl
โ
#Ireland
has been through very rapid, radical, social change.โ
@fotoole
says the Catholic countryโs historic vote to legalize abortion marks the "end of Irish exceptionalism."
Shocking! Great things happen when two Chiefs of Protocol get together!
Delighted to introduce Dutch Chief of Protocol
@PMGrotenhuis
to her Irish counterpart
@madigan_emma
in Iveagh House Dublin today.
@DutchMFA
๐ค
@dfatirl
As usual, great to visit ๐ช๐น Ethiopia but the highlight of every visit is always my reunion with this gang in
@IrlEmbEthiopia
. Great colleagues & friends. Some of the most warm, welcoming and professional people I have worked with so far in my career with
@dfatirl
.
Addisโค๏ธAbaba
A giant of Irish literature has left us today. Thomas Kinsella was a poet that spoke to me in my secondary school leaving certificate years as he does today.
Of course Mirror in February at that time described a phase of life I could scarce imagine. Now itโs lived experience!
We will launch our UN Security Council bid tomorrow in New York. Tonight U2 will remind Madison Square Gardens of what contribution ๐ฎ๐ช has made and will continue to make to international peace & security
@dfatirl
@IrelandinNL
.
To celebrate India ๐ฎ๐ณ hosting the 2023
@cricketworldcup
, the Irish ๐ฎ๐ช team is playing in the Embassy Cricket World Cup in Delhi today.
Cโmon Ireland!
So sad to hear of the passing of the great Africa statesman Kenneth Kaunda. I remember him fondly from my days in Zambia.
With his signature white handkerchief & his ever cheerful disposition his vegetarianism was also a source of inspiration.
A much respected figure in Africa
Canโt believe it has been two full years! ๐ฏ
#OTD
14 June 2019 I was in Cork to bid farewell at the end of a great state visit to Ireland by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Mรกxima of the Netherlands!
The impact of that visit was huge in terms of strengthening ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ relations!
Beautiful Nehru Park in New Delhi. First outdoor run for me in 30+ degrees ๐ฅต
So lucky to have this green space on my doorstep ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ช
So sad this evening at the passing of an Irish icon. From first time I saw her live in my student days I have loved the truth and beauty of her voice. Sleep now Sinรฉad.
Sinรฉad OโConnor, acclaimed Dublin singer, dies aged 56
Delighted to see another Irish woman take on a leadership role in defence of Human Rights international law. ๐๐ผ
Congratulations
@smullallylaw
from your friends
@IrelandinNL
in the City of Peace and Justice, The Hague
@HumanRightsIRL
Congratulations to Professor Siobhรกn Mullally
@smullallylaw
on her appointment as UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and girls
I laid a wreath this morning at the Auschwitz Never Again monument in Amsterdam. Beautiful ceremony in remembrance of the liberation of the Concentration Camp on this day 74 years ago. Thanks Nederlands Auschwitz Comitรฉ for all that you do to make sure we will never forget.
This photo of the disappearing path from
@LovinDublin
is a favourite spot in Sandycove not far from where I live in Dun Laoghaire. At a time like this it makes me a little nostalgic for home...
Since he was a little boy, my son runs to the end and says he has reached Landโs End!
In the Hague Ireland just voted to support the decision to strengthen the norm against use of
#chemicalweapons
& to establish a new independent attribution mechanism in the
#OPCW
. This is an important step to end impunity for the use of CWs.
@IrelandinNL
@disarmamentIRL
@dfatirl
And delighted that
@IntlCrimCourt
Prosecutor Bensouda will be a guest of my country next week, delivering a lecture in beautiful Galway
@nuigalway
and meeting with our leadership in Dublin.
We remain fully committed to the ICC.
Struggled to pick just one of so many highlights of a great year
#Working4IRL
in The Hague. Travelled around
#NL
โค๏ธ; Led Delegation to North Uganda, Hosted Min
@simoncoveney
and others... So many events! (thanks to my great team
@IrelandinNL
) Below however was a real high!
@DF_COS
Superb inputs at
@PeacePalace
from Irish Captain Deirdre Carberry and Dutch Commander Ella van Den Heuvel. Both Peacekeepers. Both role models for girls and boys everywhere ๐๐ผ
#IWD2018
A wonderful celebration of a special bilateral relationship. Thanks
@PresidentIRL
for the hospitality this evening enjoyed by your Irish and Dutch guests!
In his State Dinner speech President Higgins hailed The Netherlands as a close friend & partner of Ireland ๐ช๐บ
He also paid tribute to the citizens, artists, students, GAA clubs, farmers, conservationists, and scholars who bring our countries together. ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ
#NLIRL
#OranjeAndGreen
I also took opportunity to call out what has been obvious to all this week. A lack of gender diversity in the leadership of the
@OPCW
organisation. We need to do better.
Amb
@kevinthehague
delivered Irelandโs statement
#NoToChemicalWeapons
Clear in condemnation of attacks, Resolute in holding those who use to account. Willful defiance of the
@OPCW
Convention cannot go unchallenged First step towards accountability is attribution
@DisarmamentIRL