27 Apr 2021, 09:34
The Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, Senator Mark Daly has extended greetings and good wishes to the people of the Netherlands, today, Tuesday April 27, 2021, on the occasion of their national holiday; Koningsdag or King’s Day.
Speaking in the Seanad the Cathaoirleach said “Koningsdag, or King's Day, is the national holiday in the Netherlands, celebrating the birth of King Willem-Alexander. On Koningsdag the Dutch turn their country orange in the same way we turn the world green on our national day. The friendship between the Irish and the Dutch is long and enduring. Together we have worked closely to protect our citizens and our countries from the impact of Brexit.
The Irish Embassy in The Hague was opened in 1950, with one of the first female ambassadors anywhere in the world, Josephine McNeill. The State visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2019 further strengthened and deepened the relationships between our two countries. King Willem-Alexander's relationship with Ireland goes a lot further back. As a young boy he would visit Kenmare and Sneem in County Kerry. We look forward to welcoming him back again soon, once travel restrictions are lifted.
I wish His Excellency Dr. Adriaan Palm, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ireland, all the Dutch people living in the Kenmare area, of whom there are many, and all the Dutch people living in Ireland and in the Netherlands, a very happy King's Day, or fijne Koningsdag.”
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