IRELAND’S outgoing Ambassador to Britain Dan Mulhall has written a letter to the Irish in Britain to reassure the community over Brexit.
It was announced last month that Mr Mulhall would replace Anne Anderson as Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States in August.
Mr Mulhall has served as the Irish Ambassador to Britain since 2013.
In his letter, he said he was pleased that Prime Minister Theresa May had included “important” references to Ireland and Irish issues in her letter triggering Article 50 on March 29.
He said the Irish community in Britain are at the “beginning of a long and complex” journey as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, but that Ireland is “ready”.
“The draft guidelines for the negotiations circulated by President Tusk, on behalf of the EU 27 Heads of State and Government, also included strong acknowledgement of the Irish in Britain’s unique circumstances,” he said.
“It has always been clear that the UK's departure from the Union will have significant economic, political and social implications for Ireland.
I am determined to keep in touch with the Irish in Britain on #brexit issues. Here is my latest brief for them. https://t.co/uHuJjTcv0u
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) April 12, 2017
“Accordingly, the Irish Government has been preparing extensively for the negotiations between the UK and the EU. Since June 2016, there has been a comprehensive programme of engagement with our European partners and EU institutions to ensure an awareness of Ireland’s unique circumstances and the need to address these in the negotiations."
Ambassador Mulhall added that the Irish Government were keen to engage with the ”important” Irish community in Britain moving towards Brexit.
“Visits from Irish Ministers to Britain to meet their UK counterparts and Irish community organisations continue to take place on a regular basis,” he said.
“In these meetings, the status of the Irish community in Britain continues to be an important topic.
“We remain committed to ensuring that the interests of the community are heard.”
Mr Mulhall praised the recent launch of Ireland’s first online passport renewal service in the wake of an increased interest in Irish citizenship in the wake of the Brexit referendum.
He encouraged anyone interested in the future of the Irish in Britain post-Brexit to join him tomorrow evening at the Luton Irish Forum, where the possible implications for the community will be discussed.
