<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The new Irish ambassador to Spain, Brian Glynn, presented the Copies of his Credentials to the Director General of Protocol, Adrián Martín Couce, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources informed <em>The Diplomat</em>.</strong></h4> Glynn, who replaces Frank Smyth, Ireland's ambassador to Madrid since 2021, was previously part of the European External Action Service (EEAS), where he was appointed Director General for the Americas in January 2021 by the then EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. His appointment to the Embassy in Spain was announced by the Irish government almost a year ago, but until now, no formal appointment has been made. Previously, Brian Glynn served as Ireland's ambassador to Brazil (2014-18) and, between 2018 and 2020, as director for the United States and Canada and director for the Americas at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He also served as the Irish government's special envoy for a successful non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He also served at the Irish Embassy in Madrid and at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU. The current ambassador, Frank Smyth, left office four days ago in a letter published on the Embassy's website, in which he emphasized that Spain remains "the preferred destination for Irish tourists," with more than 2.8 million Irish visitors annually, "the highest per capita figure of any nation." He also reminded the public of the 400,000 Spanish visitors who travel to Ireland each year, including the 35,000 young Spaniards who come to his country to learn English. "This means that there are probably close to one million Spaniards who have spent time in Ireland as students, including the Prime Minister and the President of the Community of Madrid, to name a few examples," he added. He also highlighted the total bilateral trade in goods and services of almost €15 billion annually and noted that Spain is an important market for Irish food and beverage products, from seafood to dairy products and beef. Referring to cultural connections, he stated that "the largest Irish music festival on the European continent takes place in Cáceres" and that Irish Studies "is booming in universities throughout Spain."
