A strengthening of our relationships

THE last two months have seen wide-ranging events and activities across Scotland, ranging from attending Celtic political forums to supporting Irish community events to mark St Patrick’s Day.

In late January, Minister of State for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment Frank Feighan TD was hosted for a warm and engaging bilateral meeting with Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee MSP in Edinburgh. Minister McKee’s brief includes areas overlapping with Minister Feighan’s portfolio and they had a wide-ranging discussion on how Ireland and Scotland can collaborate to address technological challenges faced in public service delivery, how to better procure services and goods for the two governments and how to deliver public service reform in both countries.

On February 1 and 2, I attended the Celtic Forum hosted by the Scottish Government in Glasgow, attended by elected representatives and senior officials of the Celtic nations and regions in the UK, France and Spain. The First Celtic Forum was hosted in Brittany in 2024 and this iteration involved a roundtable discussion on the areas of Celtic Cooperation, Cultural Exchange and Renewable Cooperation. Site visits included attendance at a Transatlantic Session concert at Celtic Connections—with several Irish and Scottish musicians—and a visit by delegations to the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS).

The First Minister John Swinney hosted a lunch for all attendees and the roundtable meeting was chaired by Cabinet Secretary Angus Robertson. At a time when barriers to cooperation and exchange are appearing globally, this meeting of like-minded regions and countries was a welcome opportunity to explore how the Celtic arc from the west of Spain to the north of Scotland can work together to address shared challenges and explore shared opportunities.

Later in February, we had an enjoyable and engaging evening as we hosted the launch of Irish poet Hayden Murphy’s fantastic new poetry anthology Discovery by Roncadora Press. With readings from Hayden, crime writer Ian Rankin and a tour de force wrap up by the Director of the Scottish Poetry Library Asif Khan, a packed Consulate enjoyed a wonderful celebration of Irish and Scottish culture and discussion of how the written and spoken word links our two countries. At the event, Asif announced that in recognition of his work as a poet, editor and literary critic, Hayden would receive the third Outstanding Contribution to Poetry in Scotland award, following luminaries such as Sally Evans and Joy Hendry.

Connections

As part of our global St Patrick’s Day programme of ministerial visits, we had a wonderful trip to Glasgow over the St Patrick’s weekend as we hosted Minister John Cummins TD for a series of engagements with political contacts, Irish businesses and the Irish community in Scotland. During his time in Scotland he visited the advanced manufacturing site of Alexanders Timber Design in Irvine, an example of the impact of Irish FDI by Longford based Glennon Brothers which supports the construction and housing sectors in Scotland. This state of the art facility can produce components for 2500 homes a year using Scottish sourced timber, delivering houses faster and more sustainably than alternative methods. In addition to their Scotland operation, how the use of timber-framed houses can further support the delivery of more homes on the island of Ireland was also discussed.

Other engagements with Minister Cummins included meeting with the leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken to express condolences for the devastating fire in the city last month, meeting academics from the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute involved in supporting local authorities to meet their climate commitments and meeting the wonderful teams in the Glasgow offices of Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland and a range of Irish tourism operators who visited Scotland this weekend.

Celebrations

The highlight of the visit was the Minister joining the Irish community in Scotland for the second annual Glasgow St Patrick’s Festival Parade and the Glasgow St Patrick’s Day Festival Fun Day, (above) where he was joined by Scottish Government Minister Ivan McKee MSP, the Lord Provost of Glasgow Councillor Jacqueline McLaren, elected representatives from across Glasgow and thousands of Irish dancers, GAA players, musicians, community groups and spectators from across the city. It was also fantastic to see so many musicians travelling over from Ireland, including two pipe bands from Donegal for a wonderful celebration of Irish culture, the work of the Irish community in Scotland and the strong links that bind our two countries.

Later that week, we were delighted to host over 300 members of the Irish community, friends of Ireland and key stakeholders from across Scotland last night at our annual Consulate St Patrick’s Day reception. We were particularly happy to welcome the Presiding Officer of The Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, who in one of her final formal acts in this role joined us to mark the close relationship between Ireland and Scotland. We were treated to some exceptional music from the Little Ireland Arts Collective and finished the evening with some sharp moves from Siamsoir Irish dancers. We are incredibly lucky to have such high quality champions of Irish culture on our doorstep. Many thanks to our generous sponsors Diageo and Tourism Ireland who helped make a memorable night for everyone in the crowd.

Other highlights from this period included attending the Edinburgh Emerald Irish Social Group's St Patrick’s Day Social in the Gilmerton Miners Club where a sold-out crowd enjoyed Irish music, dancing and raised funds for the Edinburgh nominee for the Mary From Dungloe Festival 2026. Vice Consul General Sarah Keating attended the annual Coatbridge St Patrick’s Day Festival, which is proudly supported by the Department’s Emigrant Support Programme. A huge crowd attended the street festival, procession, Irish dancing and music in one of the hearts of the Irish community in Scotland.

Lectures, discussions and debates

The University of Edinburgh hosted a wonderful discussion and celebration of Irish culture with an evening event in the exceptional Playfair Library hall. A debate on the role of the Irish Diaspora to culture was organised by the University’s Irish Society and Debates Union, joined by speakers from University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin. Presentations were also given by Irish community groups across Scotland, with Govanhill Baths and Christina McBride from The Glasgow School of Art providing an overview of their cultural and heritage work which link our two countries. As we concluded our St Patrick’s Day celebrations, this was a tremendous gathering of the Irish community in Scotland and a fascinating exploration of the role played by the diaspora in supporting and deepening Irish culture globally. This event was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Strategic Diaspora Fund operated by the Irish Abroad Unit.

Towards the end of March, the Consulate was delighted to support the first annual James Watt Lecture at Heriot-Watt University where Irish economist, Morgan Kelly, gave a fascinating overview of the impact and human cost of the Industrial Revolution. He presented elements of his new book co-authored with Cormac Ó Gráda and Nobel Prize winner Joel Mokyr. This event was hosted in the amazing Adam Smith’s Panmure House.

From child operated sulphur mines in Sicily to bleachfields in Scotland, this talk was an intriguing exploration of the economics, human stories and scientific developments underpinning the Industrial Revolution.

At the conclusion of a busy period of activity from the Consulate, we hope that all readers of The Irish Voice enjoyed a restful break with friends and family over Easter and we look forward to more exciting activities in the weeks ahead.

Jerry O’Donovan is the Consul General of Ireland in Scotland