As Ambassador of Ireland I extend warm greetings to all friends of Ireland here in Nigeria on the occasion of Saint Patrick’s Day, the National Day of Ireland.

Our nations are very fortunate to enjoy a warm and multi-faceted relationship reflecting our long-standing people to people connections. A feature of my time in Nigeria has been the enthusiastic welcome I have received wherever I have travelled in the country, reflecting the recognition of the Nigerian people for the contribution of my fellow Irish women and men who travelled to this country and have left an extraordinary legacy, across the education, health, business and cultural sectors.

Today, as we mark Saint Patrick’s Day, we will honour their memory by striving to strengthen the understanding and links between our people. In this respect, a special highlight recently was the presentation of a Presidential Distinguished Service Award to Ms. Aduke Gomez, a Lagos-based member of our diaspora, who was honoured in Dublin by the President of Ireland for her work to promote the cultural heritage of Lagos as well as cultural links between Nigeria and Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day is an opportunity for tens of millions of people with Irish heritage around the world – and many more friends of Ireland beyond that – to join in a celebration of Ireland and the literature, music, culture, history and outlook on life that have shaped our island. We know, in Ireland, that we are truly fortunate to have a National Day so many people enjoy.

As we come together to mark our National Day, we are mindful too that conflicts continue to devastate lives across the world, fuelling hunger and displacement. The impacts of climate change are being felt in more and varied ways. Even in highly developed countries, increases in the cost of living and anxiety around technological and societal change have undermined confidence in established ways of doing business.

We are not immune from these international winds of change in Ireland, but we do try to limit their effects. And certainly when it comes to investors in Ireland and visitors to our island, we try to provide a consistency of approach that stands the test of time.

A commitment to maintaining Ireland as a great place to do business and as a superb location to visit, study or work is shared by all major political parties in our parliament. This provides a predictability or stability in policy that may be not as exciting as some journalists might wish. But in a world as turbulent as today’s, we think this consistency is something to cherish .

Indeed, the World Competitiveness Report 2024 ranked Ireland first internationally for attracting and retaining talent, first for the flexibility and adaptability of our workforce, and first for workforce productivity. For an island that experienced the worst famine in Europe in the nineteenth century and crippling emigration until more recently, this rise to become a top ten country on the UN Human Development Index didn’t materialise through a lack of new thinking or strategic ambition.

But we also know that every marathon is best run at a steady pace in an agreed direction rather than by sprinting back and forth. We try to take a clear and consistent approach to our foreign policy too, in line with the principles of empathy and partnership that were at the heart of our most recent term on the UN Security Council.

Last month we marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s illegal aggression must end. But how we make peace matters. Our message is clear – there can be no solution about Ukraine, without Ukraine. A bad deal for Ukraine is a bad deal for us all. That’s why we stand in solidarity with Ukraine, now and in the future. We believe we have taken a principled position in the Middle East too.

We firmly condemn the heinous terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023. The taking of hostages is unconscionable. We call for the return of all hostages to their families. In Gaza, the scale of destruction and human suffering is truly shocking. It is vital that we do not see a resumption of hostilities, and that the massive scale-up of desperately needed humanitarian aid continues. As a small country, we are convinced that working together across borders, at the UN and in other international organisations, is the best way to tackle global challenges and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.

We see the protection and promotion of human rights as essential to securing and maintaining peace and stability globally. This is part of the reason why Ireland is running for election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term. We will make this case at the G20 too, where Ireland has been invited to participate as a guest country for the first time over the course of 2025 and where we will also be active in making the case for harnessing innovation to deliver inclusive economic growth.

And all of this work continues while we intensify our planning for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026. Ireland is fortunate to be at the heart of the European Union, an unprecedented peace project, a vibrant market of more than 450 million people and a catalyst for positive social change and inclusion.

Here in Nigeria, the European Union is a key strategic and reliable partner given our shared commitment to peace, economic and standard-setting power and leadership on sustainable development. The European Union is by far Nigeria’s largest trading and investment partner with Nigeria benefitting from a EUR €10.7 billion trade surplus and the Global Gateway will further enhance this relationship.

The European Union also recognises the importance of solidarity and remains committed to partnering with the government of Nigeria in assisting the people affected by conflict and violence as well natural induced disaster. This assistance saves countless lives every day and we are very grateful for the leadership of Ambassador Gautier Mignot and Team Europe. There are undoubtedly deep and complex challenges to navigate over the months and years ahead.

But there are opportunities too if we approach these challenges in a constructive and collaborative fashion and use our multilateral and international institutions to forge consensus and unleash potential. There is a famous Irish saying that reads “Ní neart go cur le chéile – There is no strength without unity.” Just as we celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day, we should recommit ourselves to working together as closely as we can. Our people deserve nothing less.
Ryan is the current Ambassador of Ireland to Nigeria.