Sir, – I read with interest the recent correspondence criticising the trips of Irish Ministers overseas for St Patrick’s Day.
While I can understand the concerns raised, as the (unpaid) director of Féile Shanghai, I wish to point out the importance of having a ministerial visit to Shanghai. In a city of 25 million people, the Irish community of Shanghai is unique among the expat communities in having a public celebration of our national day. This is the sixth year of Féile Shanghai and through the effort of many volunteers and the support of Irish business and government agencies we work hard to raise awareness and promote a positive image of Ireland as a place to visit, to study and to do business.
As you will be aware from the recent successful visit of vice president Xi Jinping to Ireland, China places great importance on relationships. During the St Patrick’s festival we have access to senior officials and business people who look forward to celebrating this great global festival with us. The Irish consulate here in Shanghai and embassy in Beijing work hard to develop and improve these relationships year in year out, but they would be the first to recognise that the visit of a minister demonstrates that our Government as well as our diplomats are serious about improving our relationship with China.
I am sure what is true for Shanghai is also true for the many countries in the world that celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
On a personal note, we may be a small community but we are Irish citizens and we welcome the occasional opportunity to meet members of our Government. I can assure you that they are kept extremely busy while they are here. – Yours, etc,