Summer 2024 Message from the Consul General
A chairde, dear friends,
As the summer draws to a close, I would like to start off by congratulating both Team Ireland and Team Hong Kong on their excellent Olympic performances in Paris! We at the Consulate are hugely proud of both teams and are now looking forward to watching and cheering for our Paralympic athletes as they compete for medals over the next two weeks.
As always, I want to thank all of our stakeholders yet again for your ongoing support for the work of the Consulate. I am very proud that we delivered and supported a robust Irish cultural programme in Hong Kong in the first half of this year. Since my last update, we have been privileged to work closely with some wonderful partners on a range of events, including our hard working Irish Community groups. The community have continued to show each other exceptional support also. It was particularly heartening that two fundraising events were organised for individuals who are undergoing challenging circumstances.
Some highlights include:
- We celebrated a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day period that included many events and engagements including the visit of the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath TD; the St. Patrick’s Society Emerald Gala Ball; the Irish Chamber of Commerce St. Patrick’s Day networking reception with AmCham; the Greening of the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Macao; the Jim Stynes Cup between Hong Kong GAA and Hong Kong AFL; the Ireland Trophy night at Happy Valley; the Irish Fest at the Shun Tak Center, and other great events.
- I visited Art Basel and met with the Kerlin Gallery and Mothers Tankstation; two Irish art galleries whose participation was supported by Culture Ireland. They showcase a range of artists from Ireland and around the world.
- The Consulate was delighted to organise and support the participation of world renowned Irish mural artist Aches in the HK Walls festival, where he painted a stunning mural in Kennedy Town in his signature style.
- Oscar-winning Irish Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Playwright Martin McDonagh participated in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. His programme was sponsored by the Consulate and I was delighted to have the opportunity to promote Irish film and Irish actors to a broad Hong Kong audience.
- Both the Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Linda Doyle, and the President of University College Dublin, Orla Feely, visited Hong Kong in March and April respectively. As a TCD alumna I particularly enjoyed attending the alumni event hosted by Provost Doyle. I was very glad to have the opportunity also to participate with President Feely in the graduation ceremony of UCD students who achieved their degrees with Kaplan in Hong Kong. Education links between Ireland and Hong Kong are continuing to evolve and grown in various ways.
- Like all Irish Rugby fans in Hong Kong, I was extremely proud of the excellent performance of the Irish Women’s and Men’s Rugby teams at the Hong Kong 7s in April this year. It was wonderful to have been invited to speak at the Irish Chamber of Commerce dinner event during the Rugby 7s week where guests got the chance meet and chat with the full Irish team.
- In May the Consulate supported a special Eurovision event, organised by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Sweden and Ireland are now tied for the title of countries that have won Eurovision the most times!
- I was delighted to meet with the Irish Under 20 Women’s Lacrosse team who were in Hong Kong this month to compete in the World Lacrosse U20 World Championship. Vice Consul Rob Murphy braved the rain and went out to the Hong Kong Football Club to support and cheer them on for their match against Hong Kong! Having entered the competition in 19th place, the team put in an incredible performance and finished 10th overall.
- I was honoured to have bilateral meetings with Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR, Paul Chan, and Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in Hong Kong, Cui Jianchun. These meetings are important for strengthening the Ireland-Hong Kong relationship and they provide an opportunity to deliver messaging about Ireland’s interests and strategic priorities at the highest levels of government.
Staff Changes:
As many of you will be aware, we bid a fond farewell to Deputy Consul General, Katrina Devine, earlier this month as she finished her assignment in Hong Kong and moved back to Ireland take up a new role in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Her dedication, hard work and good humour were the driving engine of the Consulate, including during the difficult Covid-19 period. I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the team to thank her for her service and wish her the best of luck in her new role.
As we say goodbye to one colleague, we also warmly welcome the new Deputy Consul General, Sadbh O’Reilly. I am delighted to welcome Sadbh, and her partner Niall, to Hong Kong and I know that all of our friends and partners will join me in wishing them the best for their time here. Sadbh is looking forward to meeting and working closely with all our excellent partners in Hong Kong, especially the Irish Community.
We also welcomed our new Consular Officer, Tim Chan, who is working to provide Irish citizens with excellent consular services and assistance.
More broadly, we have had some big changes in Team Ireland in China with the departure of Ambassador Ann Derwin from Beijing and Consul General Wendy Dorman Smith from Shanghai. They have left a significant legacy and will be missed by all. At the same time, I want to extend a very warm welcome and wish the best to the new Ambassador of Ireland to China, Dr. Nicholas O’Brien, and the new Consul General of Ireland to Shanghai, Mr. David Murphy. I look forward to working closely with them in the years to come, including welcoming them to Hong Kong in the near future.
As the summer draws to a close we are excited about the next few months, which are already shaping up to be very busy. While many details are still to be finalised we will look forward to welcoming several visiting delegations from Ireland including in the Education, Food & Beverage and Cultural spheres. We are also looking forward to Halloween! I encourage you to follow the Consulate’s social media accounts to keep up to date with events and all the latest news.
Wishing you and your families a busy and productive September and I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming months.
Jennifer Bourke