Jean McDonald, Ireland's Ambassador to Luxembourg; Credit: DFA Ireland

Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to interview the new Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, Jean McDonald, who presented her official credentials to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg on 21 September 2023.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us about your last posting / role and how it might differ to your new role in Luxembourg.

Ambassador Jean McDonald: First of all, let me say how honoured and delighted I am to have been appointed as Ireland's Ambassador in Luxembourg. I arrive here after two years in our Foreign Ministry in Dublin working on strategy and governance issues, and from 2017-21, I was Ireland's Deputy Permanent Representative for Human Rights at the UN in Geneva. Before that I focussed a lot on EU issues, including time working on the Brexit file, and an assignment at the Irish Embassy in Paris. So, quite diverse roles, but one of the great things about a career in the civil service is bringing learning from each job to the next. Fundamentally, every job is about working with people, and that's certainly the case for any diplomat.

Chronicle.lu: Had you visited Luxembourg before / do you have an existing connection to Luxembourg? If not, what are your initial impressions (any striking similarities to / differences from Ireland)?

Ambassador Jean McDonald: One of my previous roles involved regular attendance at EU Council meetings, so my earlier visits to Luxembourg were focussed around Kirchberg. As a bilateral Ambassador I will fortunately have the time to learn and discover more about this beautiful country. I have also been lucky throughout my career to work with many great colleagues from Luxembourg, particularly at EU level. My first impressions are wholly positive - I have really been struck by the warm welcome that has been extended to me, by officials, by the diplomatic corps, and by the Irish community. So on that basis, I definitely feel that Luxembourg and Ireland have a shared appreciation for "Céad Míle Fáilte"!

Chronicle.lu: What are the main priorities of your tenure? And what role do you hope the Irish Embassy will play in Luxembourg during your time here?

Ambassador Jean McDonald: Broadly speaking my role, and that of the great Embassy team that I work with, has three main areas of focus: the bilateral relationship; support for our citizens and; given Luxembourg's important status as an EU capital, work related to the EU Institutions. Firstly, like any Ambassador and Embassy, a central part of our job is to deepen the bilateral relationship between Ireland and our host country. In this case, I am particularly fortunate that Ireland and Luxembourg already enjoy such warm and close relations. We have an active and diverse Irish community based here, with business, economic, cultural and sporting interests all being pursued with great energy. Supporting these efforts and scoping out new areas for potential cooperation is a key priority. Secondly, an essential component of our functions are the services that we as an Embassy provide for our citizens when they need our assistance. In the short time since I have been here, I have already met with many callers to the Embassy who have needed us to help processing paperwork related to various administrative procedures. It is always great to have the opportunity to meet with citizens, help where we can, and chat about life in Ireland and Luxembourg. Thirdly and finally, and most specifically during the months of April, June and October, a lot of our work at the Embassy is focussed on supporting the work at EU level, when the EU Councils meet, and ministers and their delegations travel here from Brussels and Dublin.

Chronicle.lu: In what ways do you feel / hope Luxembourg and Ireland can (continue to) work together, now and in the future?

Ambassador Jean McDonald: As I mentioned, Ireland and Luxembourg already enjoy incredibly strong relations, as close partners with shared values at the UN and the EU, and bilaterally. With the opening of the Luxembourg Embassy in Dublin in 2022, this is a very exciting time for our relationship and I am eager to really get going with my work, to identify opportunities to deepen these ties.