Irish Ambassador Provides a Glimpse into the Work of Diplomats, Ambassadors

On Tuesday 19 December 2023, the Ireland Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ILCC) held an event at the Hotel Barc Belair in Luxembourg-Merl on the topic of "The Business of... Foreign Affairs".

With around 35 members in attendance, the Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to Luxembourg, Jean McDonald, who took up her position in early September, shared her perspectives on her role, how she spends her time and what her day-to-day activities involved, as well as what is involved in a diplomatic career and the different types of routes to being appointed ambassador.

Joe Huggard, ILCC Chairman, started the event and welcomed everyone, introducing Ambassador McDonald.

Ambassador McDonald recalled arriving in Luxembourg on 31 August with her husband and has enjoyed meeting members of the Irish community in the Grand Duchy. She addressed the conceptions and misconceptions of the life of an ambassador, referencing a social meme that was doing the rounds a number of a years ago about what one's parents think one does, what one's family think one does, what one's friends think one does and what one thinks one does.

She explained that her work involves a variety including sitting in a negotiation room, accompanying government ministers, attending community events, being involved in certain consular issues and much more.

She said that she has had eleven different roles since joining the Department of Foreign Affairs 22 years ago, and has worked abroad in Paris, Geneva and now Luxembourg, the first and third being at bilateral missions. She recalled working in a multilateral forum, at the UN in Geneva in Switzerland, seeing first-hand how important the work is; she explained that diplomacy has real tangible effects on the business environment.

She stressed that she loves the citizen services part of the Foreign Affairs portfolio, including liaising with local communities.

She mentioned accompanying an Irish government minister today in Luxembourg, emphasising balancing different tasks and responsibilities.

She then referred to the ground-breaking action in 2018 in promoting Ireland abroad which included establishing 25 new embassies/consulates abroad in a certain time-frame, with Islamabad and Jordan about to be included.

She also mentioned that the new Luxembourg embassy in Ireland should help with the perception of Luxembourg in Ireland. She also confirmed that not being able to speak Irish is no longer a barrier to joining the civil service in Ireland.

In summary, the three takeaways she shared include the variety of what she does, the people she gets to meet (from diplomats to human rights) and being incredibly proud of what she does.

The formal side of the event ended with a Q&A and was followed by a networking cocktail.