LETTER: Bidding fond farewell to ambassador to UK

SIR – Dan Mulhall will be a huge loss to the Irish community in Britain, but will be a great success in the United States. 

We recently learnt that the Irish Ambassador to Britain, Dan Mulhall, has been appointed as the Republic’s representative to the United States, and while we are sad, we are not surprised.

Sad, because of the terrific relationship he has established with first and second generation Irish in the UK, unsurprised because of the incredible job he has done raising the profile of Ireland and engaging the Irish community.

Dan was born in Waterford and attended University College Cork before entering the civil service in 1978.  Humble and incredibly personable, Dan epitomises the Irish spirit, which I was brought up to appreciate and aspire to.

Dan has been involved in various branches of government for 40 years, becoming the 14th Irish Ambassador to Britain in September 2013, and is arguably one of the most accomplished figures to ever do the job.

Although his passion is the arts and in particular poetry, Dan has been incredibly supportive of O’Donovan Waste Disposal and other Irish-owned and operated businesses. He officially opened our new material recycling facility in A lperton in May last year.

Dan goes to the USA at a crucial time when relationship-building will be vital, with thousands of Irish living there. He has a hugely important job ahead of him to help advance Ireland’s partnership with the USA, and there is no better person for the job in our opinion.

We wish Dan and his wife Greta, the very best of luck in the next chapter of their lives.

Jacqueline O’Donovan, 

Managing Director, 

O’Donovan Waste 

Disposal,

Markfield House, 

82 Markfield Rd, 

London.