Ms Stephanie FitzGerald-Smith:

I thank the committee for its comments and having us here today. I will speak later about education but I will first address "brand Ireland". I was a resident of Shanghai for five years and I worked very closely with the embassy in Shanghai to promote "brand Ireland". One cannot underestimate the power of the Irish diaspora abroad in promoting the brand.

I agree with the Senator that music is very important in promoting Ireland. We have a very talented culture and people recognise the Irish for that. I am aware that music was used regularly during the State visit to China by President Higgins in December at galas and various events that took place to promote Ireland. The St. Patrick's Day parades across Asia are very important elements in promoting team Ireland across Asia and music is a major part of that. For example, the Shanghai parade has students as young as five who have learned Irish dancing in Shanghai from a mix of Irish ex-pats living in Shanghai and locals who learn Irish dancing. There is one Irish dancing troupe which learned Riverdance from watching videos on YouTube. It started 13 years ago and the troupe is just as good as Riverdance now.

The promotion of Ireland through music, dance and cultural workshops is very important, and sport is equally vital. The Gaelic games community across Asia is very strong, for example. The Asian Gaelic Games will take place in Shanghai this year, and they have previously taken place in Kuala Lumpur quite regularly. I attended two years ago when there were 800 players from across Asia, and they were not comprised solely of Irish people. The group included a multitude of Asian people who are very talented at Gaelic games. In addition, the hurling all-stars toured Asia approximately two years ago, and Mr. Marty Morrissey came to Shanghai for that, travelling with them to present Irish hurling to the diaspora in Shanghai and across all of Asia. People watched this in awe and it was a very memorable occasion because hurling is a very fast sport that requires much skill.

Placement in schools across Asia and teaching Asian students how to experience Irish culture is a great way of promoting the Irish brand. New Zealand, for example, has invited celebrities to its island. We could invite celebrities who have millions of followers on social media in Asia to Ireland, which has a lot to offer, such as the Giant's Causeway and, more recently, the Wild Atlantic Way. These can be exhibited through social media to millions of people across Asia, which would be a great promotion. These would be marketed in those people's own language.