A summer of celebrations and connections

THE summer is a period of change in many consulates and embassies around the world, and it is no different here in Edinburgh.

In mid-August, we said goodbye to our Vice Consul Andrea Wickham-Moriarty and to Christopher Keane who have returned to Dublin. They have been replaced by the new Vice Consul Sarah Keating and another diplomatic colleague. Nancy Previs. We are delighted to have Nancy and Sarah here in Scotland and we look very much looking forward to having the readers of The Irish Voice meet with them in the weeks ahead. I would like to pay tribute to the huge achievements of Andrea and Chris who over the last number of years have contributed so much to deepening the relationship between Ireland and Scotland.

150 years of Hibernian FC

Earlier, in the month of August, We were delighted to join with the management of Hibernian Football Club as they marked the 150th anniversary of their creation by Limerick man Canon Edward Hannan. We were joined by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, local politicians, supporters of the club and the management staff and players of the men’s and women’s teams as we marked an important occasion for both Edinburgh, and the wider, Scotland- Ireland relationship. We know there are some exciting plans in the season ahead for the football club to continue to celebrate their 150th anniversary year and we look forward to working with the management teams key stakeholders in both Ireland and Limerick to mark this momentous occasion.

For those interested in the story of this club, we also joined with author Mike Hennessy who released his new book Edinburgh’s First Hibernian: The Mission of Edward Joseph Hannan. This wonderfully researched book tells in great detail the story of both the foundation of the club as well as the story of the Irish community in Edinburgh in the 1800s. It is well worth a read for sporting and historical fans alike.

Croke Park performance

In July, it was an enormous privilege to see St Roch’s Marching Band from Glasgow perform as half-time entertainment during the All-Ireland Football semi-final match between Meath and Donegal in front of 82,000 spectators in Croke Park.

Given the historic links in particular between Donegal and Glasgow, having St Roch’s perform in this fixture was a huge acknowledgement of the relationship between Scotland and Ireland. Our counterparts from the Scottish Government office in Dublin as well as proud Meathwoman and Vice Counsul, Andrea Wickham-Moriarty were in attendance to support the very large delegation of Glaswegian musicians.

This visit could not have taken place without the support of Comhaltas and the GAA in both Ireland and Scotland. Seeing so many members of the Irish community in Scotland performing in one of the most iconic locations in Ireland was a huge moment. I know many members of the band were incredibly proud of this and I would like to

congratulate them on what has been an incredible year for St Roch’s and the wider Comhaltas movement in Scotland.

Festivals of fun

While August is often a quiet period for Irish diplomatic missions across the world, Scotland is a location where it is one of our busiest months of activity, particularly in the area of culture.

In early August, I was delighted to see first-hand some of the wonderful Irish Roots programme at Govanhill International Festival and Carnival. A wonderful evening of song, film and great craic was had with the screening of It’s a Fine Thing to Sing and a performance of the Inishowen Singers’ Circle, with the support of Culture Ireland. The documentary film features Ian Lynch (Lankum), Ye Vagabonds and The Henry Girls arranging and singing six songs from Clonmany and Buncrana singers from the Inishowen Peninsula and we were delighted that director and producer Bob Gallagher was able to travel over to the West of Scotland to discuss his wonderful film.

I would like to congratulate all those involved in the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival for what was a hugely impressive programme of culture, history and community engagement.

Our busy month continued with Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD visiting Edinburgh for a three-day visit to support and showcase the Irish cultural sector in Scotland. While in Scotland he held meetings with the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP and with the UK Government’s Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries, Chris Bryant.

He attended a number of Culture Ireland sponsored events in the Fringe Festival and International Book Festival, opened the Culture Ireland Edinburgh Showcase Networking Event, met with representatives of the Edinburgh based festivals and hosted a Meet the Irish reception which brought together Irish performers, festival and cultural promoters, media, political and governmental contacts from across Scotland.

The Minister also spoke at an Enterprise Ireland and Screen Scotland event aimed at deepening collaboration between the Limerick film and TV sector and potential Scottish partners.

There were more than 100 Irish based acts performing and appearing in Edinburgh over the month, ranging from writers like Colum McCann to the cast and crew of Two Pints by Roddy Doyle. Many more Irish artists, writers and film makers based elsewhere in the world were also performing.

Some particular highlights included Lost Lear (cast above with Minister O’Donovan) by Dan Colley with Riverbank Arts Centre in Kildare. This interpretation of Shakespeare through the prism of dealing with dementia has been extremely well-received, winning a prestigious Fringe First by The Scotsman and five-star reviews from the likes of the Financial Times.

Another highlight was attending You’ll See by the Galway based theatre company Branar. This interpretation of James Joyce’s Ulysses has been receiving strong reviews for its accessibility and ability to cater for audiences from the age of eight upwards. Both plays were part the Culture Ireland Showcase for 2025.

Separately, the Consulate and visiting delegations from both the Embassy in London and Dublin attended the majority of the Culture Ireland sponsored performances, many of the book events featuring Irish authors and many of the productions supported by Northern Ireland’s arts promotion agency and a number of other shows and events by Scottish based performers with Irish links.

Partnerships and links

In early September, we joined the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce for the establishment of their Scottish chapter and were delighted to be joined by Minister Ivan McKee who has done much over the last number of years to deepen Irish-Scottish political and economic links.

Scotland and Ireland are important partner across a number of areas: renewable energy (SSE and ESB are heavily invested in the Irish and Scottish markets), business (more than 300 Enterprise Ireland client companies export to Scotland and Ireland is regularly one of Scotland’s top five global export markets) and research and innovation, notably the UCD-University of Strathclyde cooperation on the space economy and research.

This new BICC chapter will complement the work of the Consulate, the offices of Irish Enterprise and Tourism Ireland in Glasgow and other important networks and organisations such as Causeway: the Ireland Scotland Business Exchange.

Later in September, we will partner with the Library of Mistakes, the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University for two seminars involving economist Patrick Honohan, former Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland. Patrick will discuss Ireland’s membership of the European Union and the impact that it had in transforming it from one of the poorest European states to one of the richest. He will also discuss the financial crisis of the early 21st century and the end of the Celtic Tiger period, informed by his experience of being the Governor of the Irish Central Bank between 2009 and 2015. Tickets are free and can be secured via the website of the Library of Mistakes.

Whether its exploring how to sustain local music in the north west of Donegal with a crowd in Govanhill or discussing the origins of the Irish financial crisis in Edinburgh, the last few months showcase the rich variety of activities that link our two countries.

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