Where Irish people go, they make their mark. They play their part in society and contribute to the economy. The history of Ireland since the middle of the 19th century has been marked by emigration - some voluntary but often involuntary - as Irish people sought opportunity.
The scale of this emigration has been remarkable. There are 70 million people worldwide who claim some Irish heritage, with the largest communities in Britain and the United States. This migration has helped to shape the history of many nations, including the UAE.
Tom Barry came to the UAE in the 1970s. He is now CEO of Arabtec Construction, having helped to build the company for more than 30 years. Gerald Lawless, another long-term UAE resident, is now executive chairman of Jumeirah Group, a company that has instant brand recognition the world over. Séamus Byrne founded Byrne Rental, which supplies equipment to concerts and other big events across the country. Colm McLoughlin came to the UAE in the early 1980s to help set up Dubai Duty Free and he is still here, having helped to build the world's largest duty free operation. There are many others like them who have come from Ireland to make lasting contributions to the UAE.
I am delighted to celebrate St Patrick's Day, Ireland's national day, as Ireland's first resident ambassador to the UAE. One month ago today, the UAE's first resident ambassador to Ireland, Khaled Lootah, presented his credentials to the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, completing the exchange of resident embassies between our two countries.
This exchange of embassies is a significant step, but it is not the beginning of the relationship. We have some long-standing connections through people and often more visibly, through horses. Ireland was also honoured to be one of the reference points for the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan.
The UAE's ambitious plans for economic growth and expansion have attracted interest from all over the world. These plans have attracted many suitors: individuals, companies and even countries, who want to play their part in this expansion and present themselves as perfect partners.
Ireland is anything but a perfect partner. We are a small island, with a small population, on the edge of Europe. We have limited natural resources. Over the last two years, we have faced particular difficulties in the context of the global financial and economic crisis, with a serious knock-on effect on the public finances and the position of our banks.
We have risen to these challenges - the long and short-term ones. In the absence of significant natural resources, we invested in our people through education. Ireland now has one of the most highly skilled, highly educated and productive labour forces in the world.
Our energy resources were once thought to be limited but with changing technologies, they can be plentiful. On the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Irish companies are at the forefront of developing the technology necessary to commercialise windpower. Ireland is also a significant global player in the fields of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and commercial services.
Rather than see our geographical position as a disadvantage, we saw Ireland as a gateway to Europe from the west. The US is the single biggest source of foreign direct investment in Ireland. There are now more than 400 US companies in Ireland, employing more than 90,000 people and in the other direction, there are nearly 200 Irish companies operating in the US, employing over 80,000 people.
Our success in attracting foreign direct investment has become a model, in particular for similar sized countries. The remarkable transformation of the Irish economy over the last 20 years is continuing, with the government investing heavily in research and development and fourth-level education.
Today there will be major celebrations of St Patrick's Day all around the world. The Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, and the Empire State Building will all go green. The Taoiseach, Ireland's prime minister, will visit the White House. Irish ministers will visit all corners of the world to promote Ireland and to meet and show their support for Irish communities. As part of this, Ireland's attorney general, Paul Gallagher, is visiting the United Arab Emirates this week to show his support for the thousands of Irish who are making their lives here in the UAE. This is just the latest high-level visit from Ireland to the UAE. Our president, Mary McAleese visited last year, and the then Taoiseach (prime minister) visited in 2007.
At the heart of Ireland's development and success over the last 20 years is an openness to the world, and a willingness to look outward for opportunities, for ideas and for partners. We share these strengths with the UAE; the growing friendship between the two nations is a testament to their value.
Our openness extends to welcoming visitors. The country has been blessed with a rich and varied landscape, combining lush greenery with a rugged Atlantic coast. These natural advantages have been matched with the finest tourist infrastructure, but more important is the warm welcome our visitors will encounter whether they are visiting the largest cities or smallest villages.
As the UAE opens an embassy in Dublin, and we open our own in Abu Dhabi, the Irish have particular reason for pride this St Patrick's Day.
Ciarán Madden is the Republic of Ireland's ambassador to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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