Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris TD, has launched a digital media campaign celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and paying tribute to Irish people, and people in the Irish diaspora, making remarkable contributions to society at home and abroad.
In this year’s St. Patrick’s Day video, footage of the impact Irish people are making across the globe is accompanied by a rendition of the iconic track from The Pogues, “A Rainy Night in Soho," performed by singer-songwriter Cat Dowling.
The Tánaiste said: “This St. Patrick's Day, I am delighted to pay a special tribute to Irish people making a positive contribution to communities the world over.
"From healthcare to business, culture to education, our diaspora have always been our best and most important ambassadors, making all of us in Ireland proud.
No matter how far they have travelled, or how long they or their families have lived abroad, our Irish diaspora shares a bond that transcends borders – they call Ireland home.”
From Miami to Copenhagen, and Tanzania to the Philippines, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day video captures the everyday contributions of Irish people living around the world, offering a unique window into their working lives.
It showcases a diverse range of activities and professions, from peacekeepers and humanitarians to entrepreneurs and nurses, highlighting the contribution that these Irish individuals and millions more in our diaspora are making across the world.
You can watch the inspiring St. Patrick's Day video here:
Ireland's Changemakers around the world:
Dr. Tom Flaherty - National Team Triathlete Guide for Blind
Located in: United States
Dr. Tom Flaherty is the National Team Triathlete Guide for the Blind for Team USA, based in Miami. Alongside his career in athletics, he is also the Medical Director of BioDigital, the creators of the first interactive, 3D body platform that virtually maps the human body. Previously, he was a Medical Doctor for the Dr Oz Show, winning two EMMY Awards for producing the show.
Dr Trish Scanlon - Paediatric Oncologist
Located in: Tanzania
Dr Trish Scanlan is the Director of Their Lives Matter (TLM), a paediatric oncology programme in Tanzania, and also serves as Interim Director of Global Health at Children’s Health Ireland. Providing free cancer care for children, including chemotherapy at 11 sites in Tanzania since 2007, through TLM, she has treated over 6,000 children, improved long-term survival rates to more than 50%, and increased treatments by 600%.
Fr Shay Cullen - Human Rights Campaigner
Located in: The Philippines
Living and working in the Philippines since the 1970s, Fr Shay Cullen founded the PREDA Foundation in 1974 in Olongapo City. PREDA works to protect and assist sexually exploited and abused children in the Philippines and has been actively involved in helping victims of human trafficking and the sex slave trade. Fr Shay has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on two separate occasions.
Corporal Fintant Cultra and Private Keenan Barrett - Defence Forces
Located in: Lebanon
Corporal Fintant Cultra and Private Keenan Barrett are just two members of the Irish Defence Forces currently deployed as part of UNP 2-45 in Lebanon. Deployed on a peacekeeping mission, they are based in Camp Shamrock.
Neil Tobin - Head of Gaza Sub-Office, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Located in: Jordan
Wicklow-born Neil Tobin has been working in the field of human rights with the United Nations for over 17 years. He joined the UN Human Rights Office in Gaza in 2017, which receives support and funding from the Irish government. He and his team work on the ground in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in response to the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights crisis, coordinating the delivery of protection responses of over 100 inter-governmental organisations, national and UN partners.
Niamh McNamara and Clementine Leaver - Mine Action Group
Located in: Ukraine
Niamh McNamara and Clementine Leaver work with Mine Action Group, who find and destroy landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict. They also work o limit the causes and address the consequences of armed violence in communities. Niamh and Clementine are currently based and working in Ukraine.
Orla Hillary - Critical Care Nurse in the NHS and Chairperson of the London LGFA
Located in: Great Britain
Orla Hillary is a Critical Care Nurse in the NHS, caring for the sickest patients in the hospital daily. She is also a Clinical Skills and Simulation Lecturer in a university in London, developing and delivering clinical skills teaching to the next generation of nurses and midwives. A huge supporter of the GAA, Orla is also Chair for London Ladies Gaelic Football Association, pushing for promotion and recognition of the ladies team.
Caoimhe Dowling - Fashion designer
Located in: Denmark
Copenhagen-based Irish fashion designer Caoimhe Dowling has a strong focus on sustainable textiles in her designs. Inspired by the natural world, Irish mythology, folklore and landscapes, her work centres on the use of unique textiles through a combination of newly developed artisanal wool and repurposed deadstock materials. She is also pursuing a PhD in Sustainability and is on a knitwear residency in the Faroe Islands.
Eamon Eastwood - Food entrepreneur
Located in: Australia
As Founder and CEO of Taste, Eamon Eastwood leads a multi-channel food distribution company that specialises in bringing iconic and innovative flavours to the Australian market, uniting our cultures. He is also a passionate advocate for youth entrepreneurship, supporting programs that inspire innovation in young minds. He also looks to promote and develop the GAA in Austalia, fostering community and connection through sport.
Aduke Gomez - Writer and Irish-Nigerian Scholar
Located in: Nigeria
Lagos-based writer of Irish, Nigerian and Brazilian heritage, Aduke Gomez’s career has spanned many areas, from legal to the public sector, and banking to creative. Her writing explores the connections between Ireland and Nigeria, with a storytelling focus across film, poetry and children’s books. She is an extremely active member of the Irish diaspora community in Nigeria and was a 2024 Presidential Distinguished Services Award recipient in the Arts, Culture and Sport category.
Sheena McGrandles - Dancer
Located in: Germany
Originally from Northern Ireland, Sheena McGrandles is a dancer and choreographer living in Berlin. She works in various contexts, including theatre/stage, education and independent art and culture projects. Her current group of works explores radical temporality as a means of detailed exploration and exaggeration of movement. Her works create hyper-real, multi-narrative and humorous moving landscapes. Sheena has presented her works nationally and internationally.
Steven Grattan - Journalist
Located in: Colombia
Steven Grattan is a journalist from Northern Ireland, currently serving as the Amazon Rainforest and Deforestation Correspondent for the Associated Press. Based in Bogotá, Colombia, he co-founded The Bogotá Post, an English-language newspaper, in 2013, and has taught journalism at Universidad del Rosario. Steven has reported extensively on Indigenous issues, deforestation, and general politics across Latin America for outlets including Reuters, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera.
Santiago O'Reilly - GAA Player and Coach
Located in: Argentina
Santiago O’Reilly is an Irish-Argentine founding member and coach with the San Isidro Gaelico GAA team, which is part of the Cuenca del Plata League he formed in Argentina, focussed on supporting and promoting Irish culture through sport. He regularly attends the GAA World Games with the club, and makes his own hurls.
Stephen McGonigle - Watchmaker and entrepreneur
Located in: Switzerland
For almost 20 years, Stephen McGonigle has worked in the home of watchmaking, Switzerland, making mechanical watches under his brand, McGonigle Watches and more recently, his younger brand, Magon Watches. His timepieces are made-to-order, taking years to develop and months to assemble, with every component meticulously finished by hand. He originally graduated from the Irish/Swiss Institute of Horology, winning a scholarship to Switzerland.
H/T: Ireland.ie.
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