An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Mark Daly (CC), Administrative Panel

Before I call the next speaker, I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the Croatian ambassador to Ireland, who is here to celebrate Croatia's national day along with An Leas-Chathaoirleach and the newly appointed convener of the Ireland-Croatia Parliamentary Friendship Group. The ambassador is most welcome. I think he has been here nearly seven years at this stage. It is always a delight to meet him and to talk about the issues that join us together, such as the many Irish people who go on holidays in Croatia and the many people from Croatia - the number is nearly 17,000 - who work here in Ireland. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Croatia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia, which was recognised by Ireland on 15 January 1992. We look forward to celebrating that anniversary next year. Obviously, we have shared history when it comes to fighting a much larger power to achieve our independence over many centuries. A history of emigration is something else that we tragically share, along with the desire to stay connected with our diaspora. I know the ambassador does that very well on behalf of his government and his people. We look forward to delegations coming over from the Croatian Parliament during our Presidency of the European Union and engaging with our convener Deputy Paul McAuliffe and others with regard to strengthening the bonds between Ireland and Croatia. In this month of May on the anniversary of Croatia's statehood, we wish Croatia a happy statehood day and thank its ambassador for being with us here today.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26