Mr. Hugh Kelly:

Ireland is a small country and so we cannot expect to match the 2,000 people that America has on the embassy site in Delhi. It is not practical for us to compete at that level. This is the reason we are recommending the continued and vigorous exploration of more collaborative partnerships. Unlike when one goes to America and one is just another Irish person, when one goes to Asia and reaches out to other Irish people the amount of support one gets its phenomenal. My office was arranging a visit for somebody to Korea, which I know is not ASEAN but the learning is the same. We were really struggling. The GAA produced a book of Irish people in Asia who are happy to support Irish companies. My CEO wrote to 16 of them randomly and then went home to his wife thinking he probably looked like a very lonely person. By the next day 12 of them had replied. Two more replied two days later, apologising for having taken two days to get back to him. The good will among Irish people in Asia is incredible. We need to reach out to them. They are waiting for us. In due course, when we are very successful in Asia, they will get fed up with us, as in the case of Britain and America where people believe we should be able to find our own way. Irish people in Asia are crying out for us to link it all together.