Christmas Greetings from the Consulate General of Ireland
News
23 December 2020
Dear citizens and friends of Ireland in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and restful festive period.
Here at the Consulate General, we always imagined that adaptability and embracing change would be critical to the establishment of Ireland’s 90th diplomatic Mission. However, it’s fair to say that we never quite envisaged the scale of change we have seen in 2020.
In March, shortly after the cancellation of our St. Patrick’s Day festivities, our focus swiftly changed to consular work and information gathering to assist the efforts to combat Covid-19 in Ireland. The effort to repatriate thousands of Irish citizens from all corners of the globe saw many Irish people transit through Frankfurt on their return home, including on repatriation flights organised by the German government. Although the majority passed through without any need for involvement from our side, some did need assistance which we were happy to provide.
Although in the early stages most of our events had to be cancelled, we have been delighted with the level of interest and support shown for the online events we have run. The CG book club, which met twice in person before March, has met four more times online – while our Speaker Series has had two very successful and well-attended events over Zoom since the Summer. We were also very pleased to see and support the range of innovative activities organised by the Irish Business Network, the German Irish Lawyers and Business Association and the GAA clubs in the region.
We hope that the second half of 2021 will bring a return to more traditional events - where we can all meet in person - but for the moment we are planning online events for at least the first part of the year. Plans are afoot to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Summer 2021 will also hopefully see another major event. Our Book Club and Speaker Series will also return early in the new year.
By the end of next year, we would anticipate that we would have moved into our permanent Consulate premises. I look forward to the day when I can welcome you there in person.
We would encourage you – if you have not done so already – to enjoy watching our festive concert filmed last week on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. “Beethoven and Ireland at Christmas” was filmed in Frankfurt’s Haus am Dom and is available to watch on Youtube now. Renowned Irish mezzo-soprano Alison Browner and accompanist Thomas Neuhoff explored the great composer’s arrangements of Irish melodies to great effect – and of course there are a few seasonal tunes in there too.
Again, on behalf of my team in the Consulate, let me wish you and yours a happy festive season. We look forward to seeing you again in the new year.
Slán go fóill agus Nollaig Shona daoibh.
John Lynam
Consul General
