27 August 2020: A Message from H.E. Ambassador Aidan Cronin
News
27 August 2020A cháirde Gael,
I hope that you are all keeping well.
To those of you who managed to get home to Ireland over the summer, welcome back, and I hope that you had a good break and got to catch up with family and friends.
To those of you who stayed put for the summer, it’s been a long, hot few months but that said, it’s always nice to wake up to blue skies.
And to those of you who are new arrivals, I want to extend a very special welcome.
As people head back to work after the summer break and meet up with friends and colleagues, it will be a very different experience from other years, with the fight against the COVID-19 virus meaning that we all have to adapt to new ways of working and new ways of socialising.
Wear your mask, keep your distance, wash your hands.
These are very simple but vitally important precautions which protect us all. As I am writing this, there has been a notable spike in cases in the UAE over the past week or so, which goes to show that the virus is still with us and that we still need to be extremely vigilant.
It has been a long haul and people are tired but there is still an onus on us all to avoid complacency and to keep our guard up against this deadly virus. I would, therefore, urge you to take all necessary precautions as normal life here in the Gulf gradually resumes.
I want to pay tribute to the many Irish citizens working in the healthcare sector in the region. You have been to the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and I want to thank you for that. You are a credit to your country.
I also want to recognise the important role of the Irish teacher community. As schools prepare to re-open, parents will be entrusting their children into your care. It has always been a big responsibility, perhaps now more so than ever before, but those children are in the safest of Irish hands. The experience of Irish teachers all over the world was recently highlighted by RTE News.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0826/1161354-irish-teachers-on-back-to-school-around-the-world/
As always, this embassy is your embassy and we are here to assist you in any way we can. This has not been an easy time for anyone and if you are feeling the strain, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will do all we can to help or to at least point you in the direction of those who can help.
Slán go fóill.
Aidan Cronin
Ambasadóir na hEireann/Ambassador of Ireland
Abu Dhabi
