Look back on St. Patrick's Day 2024: Minister Heydon's Visit to Germany
A summary of Minister of State Martin Heydon's 6-day visit to Germany, as part of the Government’s 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Programme.
The Embassy of Ireland in Berlin was delighted to welcome Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, Martin Heydon to Germany, as part of the Government’s 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Programme.
Minister Heydon conducted a 6-day tour of Germany, visiting Stuttgart, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich.
Across the week, the Minister met with State Secretary at the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture Dr. Ophelia Nick, and Baden-Württemberg’s State Secretary for Agriculture Sabine Kurtz. They had positive discussions about the strong agriculture and trade links between Ireland and Germany. The meeting with State Secretary Dr. Nick also resulted in an agreement on areas for further German-Irish collaboration through the agricultural chapter of the upcoming third iteration of the Joint Plan of Action.
Minister Heydon had the opportunity to meet with a number of Irish businesses who are active in and seeking to expand their footprint across Germany, including BenBau, Grace O’Malley Spirits and a number of Enterprise Ireland client companies. Whilst in Stuttgart, the Minister also met Rector of the University of Hohenheim, Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert, and participants of the BioBeo EU project at the university, a project which is led by University College Dublin and includes Maynooth University and An Taisce as partners.
Minister Heydon attended Irish Community receptions in each city during his visit, all of which provided important opportunities to meet the people and organisations who do so much to ensure the Irish-German relationship continues to go from strength to strength. Sincere thanks to Ireland’s Honorary Consul General in Stuttgart, Dr. Wolfgang Häfele, and Honorary Consul General in Cologne, Brigitte Wagner-Halswick, for organising the wonderful receptions in their cities.
In Berlin, the Embassy hosted two receptions; one for members of the diplomatic, political and business communities around Germany, and the second for members of the vibrant Irish-German community from Berlin and throughout Germany. Guests were provided with wonderful musical entertainment and a taste of the finest Irish food and drink. Our thanks go to the Irish companies who sponsored the receptions Kepak Group for the beef for Irish stew, Keohane Seafoods for the smoked salmon, Grace O'Malley Spirits for the whiskey, Dairygold for the cheese, and Lir Chocolates for the chocolates.
Minister Heydon’s 6-day visit to Germany concluded with the fantastic Munich St. Patrick’s Day Parade- the largest of its kind in continental Europe. Minister Heydon was among the guests of honour at this year’s parade, alongside Munich’s Mayor Dieter Reiter and Ambassador Nicholas O’Brien. It is reported that over 50,000 people attended the festivities. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ireland Germany supported the festival, including through the Emigrant Support Programme and Embassy funding. Many thanks also to the City of Munich and all the sponsors for their support, and congratulations to the Munich Irish Network for their work in bringing together the fantastic celebrations that took place across the weekend.
Minister Heydon’s visit to Germany this St. Patrick’s Day highlighted the strength of German-Irish relations and the enthusiasm for continuing to improve the links between our countries- work which the Embassy looks forward to building upon throughout the year, including through the opening of the new Consulate General in Munich in summer 2024.