Launching an Irish Breakfast Club and other news!
News
10 June 2020Dear Friends
Today, 9 June, is the Feast Day of Saint Columba. In Ireland, he is commonly known as Colmcille. Columba (7 December 521 – 9 June 597) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland. He founded the important abbey on Iona, which became a dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries.
The Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, great medieval masterpieces of Celtic art, are associated with Columba and in his honour, 9 June has also been designated as International Celtic Art Day. Columba is probably the least known of the 3 patron saints of Ireland (Patrick and Brigid being the others). He is the patron of Ireland, the City of Derry, protection against floods (he’s clearly working overtime given our recent weather), protection against evil, bookbinders, poets, publishers, editors, authors, diplomats, statesmen, Ireland, Scotland and Ulster.
On the day that’s in it, we especially send our best wishes to our Irish religious (especially the Columbans the Jesuit and the Lasalle) communities that have given so much of their lives to the betterment of Hong Kong. We extend our deepest sympathies and offer our thoughts and prayers on the recent passing of members of those communities, including:
- Sister Redempta Twomey who died on 27 February 2020 just four days before her 78th birthday. Sr Redempta was missioned to Hong Kong from 1968 until 1977 as part of the Columban community. While in Hong Kong she worked in the Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Sandy Bay.
- Fr James (Jimmy) Hurley, SJ who died on Easter Monday, 13 April 2020, aged 93, spent 58 years of his life in Hong Kong before returning to live in Ireland in 2014. Among his many achievements included being a founding member of Amnesty International in Hong Kong.
We were also deeply saddened to hear the news of the death, in Beijing, of our dear colleague, Michael Hurley, the Deputy Head of the Embassy, who passed away on Sunday 24 May. The Department and its staff throughout the world offers its deepest sympathy to Michael’s wife Anne-Marie, his children James, Niamh and Ciara and his entire family, and we extend our condolences also to Ambassador Eoin O’Leary and Michael’s immediate colleagues in our Embassy in Beijing.
COVID-19 Developments
We welcome the news from Ireland as it moves into Phase 2 of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. Details of the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of COVID-19 are available here. The Taoiseach’s speech which acknowledges how the last few weeks have changed and transformed lives in so many different ways in Ireland is available here.
From this distance, we continue to share lessons learned with family, friends and colleagues on steps taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. We commend, in particular, the excellent response of the authorities and the collective effort of the communities in Hong Kong and Macao to the threat of COVID-19. As Europe begins to open up, it is timely to remind everybody that the novel coronavirus may not go away and we will have to learn to live with it and adapt to the new normal. In this regard, small-scale local outbreaks are inevitable from time to time and we encourage the Irish community and our friends to continue to respect the Government guidelines which are available on:
Promoting Ireland/Hong Kong Business
This year will be forever associated with webinar diplomacy and some of our recent events included:
- Friday 8 May 2020: Ireland China Business Association Webinar on China & Hong Kong (in tandem with Ambassador Eoin O’Leary)
- Monday 18 May 2020: Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce Europe Committee: Post-Brexit Series: Brexit - An Opportunity or Threat to Ireland? (in partnership with Mo Harvey, Enterprise Ireland)
- Friday 5 June 2020: In partnership with James Kenny of Tourism Ireland, we contributed to a webinar for the tourism trade in Hong Kong on promoting Ireland
Our next webinar (again in partnership with Mo Harvey, Enterprise Ireland) is with the HKTDC London Office on 'Opportunities in Hong Kong - Business Update' which will take place on Tuesday 23 June 2020 at 10:00am (UK/Ireland) / 5:00pm (HKT).
The Irish Breakfast Club
Conscious of webinar fatigue, the Consulate continues to try to find novel way to promote its public diplomacy programme, while at the same time respecting the rules on social distancing.
Our First Friday outreach event remains suspended until further notice. We are delighted, however, to announce a pilot Irish “Breakfast Club” for the month of June. [Coincidentally, the iconic movie of the same name saw its first release in Ireland 35 years ago this month!]
Starting next Tuesday – 16 June 2020 – we are partnering with Delaneys in Wanchai to host a special “Bloomsday Breakfast”! We have plans for “Breakfast Clubs” on the remaining Tuesdays in June (23 June and 30 June) and, depending on interest, we may extend the initiative through the month of July, with themes to be confirmed.
In compliance with Government norms on Social Distancing and to maximise the outreach, the following conditions apply:
- Attendance is open to both the Irish community and friends of the community (for avoidance of doubt, if you have received this email then you qualify!);
- Attendance is limited to ensure adherence with established social distancing rules for restaurants;
- Attendees need to register in advance (“walk-ins” on the day cannot be facilitated); and
- Tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
To allow as many people as possible to join the “Breakfast Club”, we ask that you register for only ONE of the three available days. Registration for your preferred date is available on the following links:
- Bloomsday Breakfast on Tuesday 16 June 2020 (8:00am–9:00am) – with special guest (in spirit) James Joyce and we can reflect on the enormous contribution of Ulysses to modern literature.
- Hennessy Highlights on Tuesday 23 June 2020 (8:00am–9:00am) – with special guest P. Kevin MACKEOWN, author of the recently published “A Stormy Petrel: The Life and Times of John Pope Hennessy”
- Irish Insights on Tuesday 30 June 2020 (8:00am–9:00am) – with special guest Mike Chinoy, author of the recently published “Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement”
We know that Leopold Bloom is a man of appetites who, in Ulysses, ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liverslices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods' roes. Pleased be assured that that guests of the Breakfast Club will not be subjected to predilections of Leopold Bloom and that Delaneys will serve a hearty breakfast, with an Irish twist and plenty of tea and coffee.
Looking forward to seeing you soon
David Costello