Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Maria Byrne (CC), Agricultural Panel

Before we move to the order of business, I welcome the ambassador from the Netherlands, H.E. Ms Maaike van Koldam. Koningsdag, or King’s Day, is the national holiday of the Netherlands, celebrating the birth of King Willem-Alexander. Just as we turn the world green on our own national day, the Dutch proudly turn their country orange.
Ireland and the Netherlands share a long and deep friendship. Diplomatic relations were established in 1945, and the Irish Embassy in the Hague opened in 1950 with Josephine McNeill as our first ambassador, one of the very few women serving as envoys worldwide at that time.
The state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2019 further strengthened the bilateral, economic and political ties between our two countries. Today, our maritime and trading relationship continues to thrive, with up to 25 direct freight sailings each week between Irish and Dutch ports.
I wish H.E. Ms Maaike van Koldam, Wemmechien Hofman, Annemarie Klop and Jarno Boggiaall from the embassy, all the Dutch people living in Ireland and all those at home in the Netherlands a very happy King’s Day, fijne Koningsdag . I hope I got that pronunciation right. They are very welcome. Deputy Roche, the convener of the Ireland-Netherlands friendship group, is here with them as well. They are all very welcome and they should enjoy their national day.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23