August Consul General Newsletter to Irish Community

News

Dear friends

A lot has happened since my last community update – we have said farewell to and welcomed new colleagues at the Consulate, the Olympics has thrown up some great Irish-Hong Kong stories, a gradual return to normality has seen a spate of Irish community activities.  But let me start with the pervasive concerns across the community regarding quarantine arrangements for those travelling to Hong Kong from Ireland.

Quarantine

The Team and I are acutely aware of the difficulties facing travellers from Ireland to Hong Kong, having to undergo 3 weeks hotel quarantine.  Last January, the Hong Kong Government moved Ireland to the “very high risk” category by for the purposes of risk-based boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements.  However, since February, Ireland has consistently been close to or better than the EU/EEA average in terms of reported cases.  Ireland also continues to achieve phenomenal results in relation to vaccines administration, well ahead of the European average.  Indeed, Ireland ranks well inside the Top 20 Territories (pop. > 300,000) worldwide in terms of vaccine uptake.  Just this week, the Financial Times described Ireland as the vaccine poster child.  This weekend sees 90% of the adult population in Ireland partially vaccinated and almost 80% fully vaccinated and a vaccine programme now being rolled out to children as young as 12 .

With EU countries implementing a coordinated approach (Re-open EU) to free movement across the Union in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is not clear why Ireland is being singled out from among the EU27 member states.  Unsurprisingly, the Irish community in Hong Kong are making very strong representations to me on this matter seeking to have Hong Kong’s Risk Assessment regularised in line with our EU colleagues.

This matter has been the single biggest concern of the Consulate in recent months.  I can assure you that the Consulate has been in regular dialogue with the Hong Kong Government on the matter and I have been personally speaking to the Secretary for Health, Sophia Chan on the matter.  On 26 July, I spoke to Jim Gould and Mike Rowse on RTHK’s BackChat programme about our efforts.  Ultimately, however, this is a decision for the Hong Kong authorities but rest assured we will continue to press the case.

Personnel Changes at the Consulate

Summertime normally witnesses changes in the diplomatic personnel and, at the end of June, we were sad to say farewell to our friend and colleague Amelia Ní Laoi.  Amelia came to Hong Kong in April 2018 and bore witness to the enormous changes that have happened in Hong Kong in recent years.  I extend my deep appreciation to Amelia for her committed work for Ireland in Hong Kong & Macao during this extraordinary period.   We lose a valued colleague and I have no doubt that – like the team in the Consulate – many of you will have appreciated her support, wisdom and friendship over the past three plus years and will join us to wish Amelia well in the next phase of her career in Dublin!

As we say farewell to a Galway woman, we welcome a Donegal woman in her place.  At the beginning of July, we were joined by our new Deputy Head of Mission, Katrina Devine.  As the pandemic-related restrictions abate, Katrina looks forward to meeting many of the community in the coming weeks and months and working to support the strong bilateral partnership between Ireland and Hong Kong & Macao.

Recent Activities

Since our successful programme of events for St Patrick’s Day, the team at the Consulate continued to be busy on a range of promotion and outreach activities, within the permitted parameters applied to the pandemic-related restrictions.  Let me share some highlights:

• It was great to see so many contributions to the SCMP Global Citizen Conference focussed on Ireland on 12 June 2021.  You can read my closing remarks to the conference on this LINK.
• I delivered the Opening Remarks at the AVstonish Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong on 31 May 2021 with some 150 delegates from the aviation industry present.
• On 29 May, I participated in the Irish Whiskey Association webinar on 'Promoting Irish Whiskey in Hong Kong', as part of a new series focussing on China & Hong Kong.  Ireland is the place where whiskey found its name, is the home of whiskey distilling, and has produced whiskey for longer than any other country. 
• We look forward to helping Bord Bia and the Irish Whiskey Association to promote Irish Whiskey and, in this spirit, the Consulate partnered with the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on an Irish Whiskey Masterclass.  Students were enthusiastic about the depth and diversity of Irish whiskey and raised many great questions with our whiskey expert John Rhodes.
• On 2 July, I was pleased to attend and deliver keynote remarks at the Networking Lunch hosted by the Irish Chamber of Commerce at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC).  Tickets for the event were in great demand so ensure your place at future networking events by joining or renewing your chamber membership.  The Irish Chamber welcomes membership from applicants of all nationalities and industries.
• I was pleased to join EU Diplomatic Colleagues at the Hong Kong Book Fair.  I read an extract of the excellent novel Lockdown Lovers by Hong Kong-based Irish writer Michael O’Sullivan and co-launched the “Tasty Europe” Cook Book Launch, featuring a recipe for Irish lamb stew.
• As the end of Pride month, we were delighted to continue our #CupcakeDiplomacy by presenting our special “Pride Cupcakes” to our friends in the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.
• In June, I was delighted to be able to accompany the Hong Kong Commissioner for Heritage on a visit to 23 Coombe Road.  Built by Irishman John Joseph (JJ) Francis in 1887, it is one of the oldest surviving European houses on The Peak and was given Grade I Historic rating in 2011.  Francis was a prominent barrister, a founder member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and campaigner for the rights of Chinese in Hong Kong (leading the battle against trafficking of women and girls and helping to establish Po Leung Kuk), where he lived for over 35 years.  The pinnacle of his achievements in Hong Kong came as Chairperson of a Sanitary Board during devastating outbreak of bubonic plague in 1894. 
• Our Schools Outreach continued and I was delighted to be able to visit St Patrick’s School and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School.  Both schools were established in the 1965 on the same site before eventually splitting into new campuses.  It was a privilege to meet with faculty members and students and to see the commitment to quality teaching including the shared histories and connections between Ireland and Hong Kong.
• Finally, it was a great privilege to celebrate Ulysseson 16 June in partnership with the wonderfully talented Hong Kong singer-songwriter Serrini in the beautiful The Peninsula Hong Kong.  Serrini shared her own perspective on Ulysses and recorded the opening line of Ulysses for us, which fed into a world-wide project to mark Bloomsday 2021.  The Department of Foreign Affairs collaborated with the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) to produce Opening Ulysses, a short film created in collaboration with more than 40 Irish Embassies and Consulates worldwide.

First Fridays are Back

Building on this outreach, we look forward to the gradually resumption of normal activities in the latter half of the year.

In this regard, we are restarting our First Friday Networking Breakfast Events in September.  We will implement a cap on attendance in line with the recommendations of the Hong Kong Government for gatherings and attendees will be expected to comply with the associated protocols including the requirement to be vaccinated and using the LeaveHomeSafe App. 

Those wishing to attend will need to pre-register and links for September and October First Friday Events are as follows:

• Friday 3 September: 8:00am–9:00am
• Friday 8 October: 8:00am–9:00am (1 October is a public holiday)

Olympic Games and other Trivia

What a fantastic Olympics for Team Ireland and Team Hong Kong.  Great to see Irish and Hong Kong public rally round all the athletes and what a bonus to see the Hong Kong and Ireland flags flying for so many medal ceremonies.  The depth of the Hong Kong – Ireland connections was also on display throughout the Olympics:

• We were deeply proud of Thomas Heffernan Ho making history as the first equestrian rider to represent Hong Kong in eventing at the Olympic Games.  Thomas is the son of the late Fred Ho and Irene Heffernan Ho, who was Ireland’s Vice Honorary Consul (1998-2006).
• We were delighted for Darach & Canjo Haughey to see Siobhan’s potential fulfilled in such spectacular fashion.  There was a small gathering of Irish community to celebrate her unparalleled achievements as Hong Kong’s double silver medallist.
• For Team Ireland, Greg O’Shea and his Irish Rugby Sevens teammates performed admirably in their debut Olympics.  Greg is from Corbally in Limerick but has Hong Kong roots, as his grandfather Peter Ho immigrated to Ireland after World War 2 to open Limerick’s first Chinese restaurant.

We look forward to Team Ireland and Team Hong Kong taking home more medals and wish them well during Paralympic Games, starting on 24 August.  Do let me know if you spot any further Ireland–Hong Kong connections!

Speaking of Ireland–Hong Kong connections, it was lovely to read:

• The recent SCMP profile on Catríona Newcombe who set up Echoes of Erin dance schools; and
• The SCMP article about a memorial gravestone being erected at the Happy Valley Cemetery for the Northern Irish mother-in-law of the Philippines’ national hero Jose Rizal, 145 years after she was laid to rest there in an unmarked grave.

Finally, on this day (15 August) in 1993, Arthur Grenfell Clarke died in Foxrock, Co Dublin, two days shy of his 87^th birthday.  Clarke was born in Athlone, Co Westmeath and graduated Trinity College Dublin.  He came to Hong Kong in 1929 as a cadet and, over the following 32 years, he had a stellar career rising to Deputy Finance Secretary (1945–1951) and then Financial Secretary (1952–1961).  Clarke’s economic policies helped turn post-war Hong Kong into a thriving economy and he also financed Hong Kong’s first Public Housing Programme.  In the coming days, I hope pay a quiet visit to Shek Kip Mei Estate, the first public housing estate in Hong Kong.  All the blocks from the 1950s have been demolished except for Block 41 Mei Ho House, the last remaining example of the "Mark II" building in a single-block configuration. Block 41 has been graded as "Grade I historic building" and is now a privately run museum established and operated by the Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association.

Best wishes

David Costello

Consul General

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