John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste. We have made fantastic progress in this area and it is commendable what has been achieved with respect to bolstering our global footprint. That whole Ireland House system has been a wonderful initiative, and it has never been more needed given our ever-changing and ever-shifting global priorities.

When you speak to members of the diaspora, you get a great sense of pride and appreciation for what is achieved through our embassies. Sometimes it goes beyond monetary value. There is a tie back to the homeland, but also people living in those countries maybe feel a connection to Ireland that would not have been there previously. That is something we have to grow on. We are also seeing at first hand what embassies are doing on the ground, whether it be Irish lessons in Auckland or the likes of a film festival in Germany. I had an encounter recently with our local OFFline Film Festival committee, who got the opportunity to travel to Berlin and engage on the ground, giving them an experience of seeing things at first hand. It is a very important initiative and one we should continue.

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