On St Patrick’s Day, 17th March, the Irish Embassy was officially opened in Abu Dhabi. The event was hosted by H.E. Ambassador Ciaran Madden, Irish Ambassador to the UAE and was attended by H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the UAE’s Minister for foreign Trade, Paul Gallagher, Ireland’s Attorney General and other distinguished ambassadors and guests.
The event opened with a welcome from H.E. Ambassador Ciaran Madden who then invited Paul Gallagher to address the invited guests. He spoke of the close ties Ireland had with the UAE and hoped that these would be further developed with the opening of embassies in Dublin and Abu Dhabi.
The formalities were concluded with a cake being cut by H.E. Ambassador Ciaran Madden, H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi and Paul Gallagher.
Inis Oirr then took to the stage to entertain the guests at the reception held in the Aloft hotel. The outdoor venue was filled with Inis Oirr’s toe-tapping jigs and reels, moving airs and traditional songs.
