Address by President Connolly at reception for Irish Community in Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain, 18 April 2026
A Chairde Uaisle, tá fíor-áthas orm a bheith i bhur gcomhluadar anseo i mBarcelona ar mo chéad chuairt thar sáile mar Uachtarán na hÉireann.
I am delighted to be here with you in Barcelona on my first overseas visit as President and I look forward to meeting you all. I would like to thank, in particular, Ambassador Brian Glynn for hosting this event and for looking after us. I would like to welcome Pura Strong, the new Honorary Consul of Ireland in Barcelona, and wish her all the very best in her new role. I would also like to pay tribute to the approx. 20,000 Irish people who now call Spain home, as well as the almost 18,000 Spanish citizens resident in Ireland as of the 2022 Census.
The relationship between our two countries goes back centuries with many twists and turns – the flight of the earls, the Spanish Armada, the Spanish Civil War, the Camino de Compostela.
The footprint of centuries of trade, cultural exchange, and our Celtic connection, is evident in so many ways, most obviously in placenames such as Spanish Point in Co. Clare and the Spanish Arch in Galway.
That relationship has deepened over time on so many levels.
In the literary sphere, Kate O’Brien has written movingly of her travels through the country and Charlie Donnelly, a young poet from Dungannon in Co. Tyrone who gave his life in battle here in 1936, as well as contemporary novelists such as Colm Toibín, who I know has a very special connection with Barcelona. Not to mention the author and Hispanist Ian Gibson, renowned for his work on Federico García Lorca, and also poet Theo Dorgan’s translation of Lorca’s “Romancero Gitano” into Irish.
In the sporting sphere the GAA is particularly active in Spain, promoting the traditional Irish sports from Seville to A Coruña and from the Costa del Sol to Madrid, and of course here in Catalonia, with clubs in Barcelona, Sitges, and Girona. I was delighted to hear how many of these clubs in Catalonia are made up of a majority of Catalan players – it really is heartening how enthusiastically the locals have thrown themselves into learning the skills of our native sports.
In addition, I understand that the Iomramh Cultural Association hosts a Currach Regatta here in Barcelona annually.
In the diplomatic sphere, in 2025, the Embassy of Ireland Celebrated the 90th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations with Spain. Over those decades, our connections have grown extensively, and both our countries have followed long and sometimes difficult paths to peace and prosperity, not least of which is dealing with our legacies of the past.
Is toradh suntasach ar an bhfulaingt agus streachailt sin nó go bhfuil ár dtíortha sásta agus bródúil seasamh daingean agus láidir a dhéanamh ar son an daonlathais agus na síochána agus sin a dhéanamh go hoscailte agus go hard, go háirithe le blianta beaga anuas
One result of the process of us coming to terms with our past is that we are acutely aware of how essential a robust democracy is, and we must do everything in our power to protect it, to protect multilateralism and the sovereignty of states. We must work together to eliminate inequality, and create the conditions for an enduring, and just, peace throughout the world.
I had the privilege of attending the Summit on the Defence of Democracy this morning and in a time of despair, I have to say that it lifted my spirits. It is quite clear that there are sustainable solutions to the challenges facing us, but we need to work together to clearly articulate and implement that alternative vision.
Míle buíochas agus bain sult as an tráthnóna.