Strong Ericsson link highlighted as Swedish Ambassador visits county

Rebekah O'Reilly and Eilís Ryan

Swedish Ambassador Inger Buxton and Irish Ambassador to Sweden Barbara Jones received a warm welcome to Dún na Sí in Moate last Monday evening, where they were met by volunteers who gave them a whistle-stop tour of the park’s amenities, along with an insight into some local history.

The Dún na Sí event was part of a two-day visit to the county during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as a result of the pairing of Sweden and Westmeath, during which ambassadors highlighting the potential for closer links between the two countries in areas including business, education, research, culture and innovation.

Members of Moate Ladies GAA were present at Dún na Sí, giving the ambassadors an introduction to Gaelic football.

The ladies also presented the Ambassadors with Westmeath jerseys, featuring the word ‘Sweden’ written on the back in Irish.

The visit concluded with tea and coffee in the Dún na Sí café, before Declan Ganly invited both ambassadors onto the floor for a dance.

On Tuesday morning, Ambassador Buxton travelled to Athlone, where she visited the Civic Offices.

Pupils from Dean Kelly NS and St Peter’s NS were invited to perform and presented her with Irish and Swedish themed kites which they had created for the visit.

The children performed a selection of Irish songs, including the national anthem, while Sally Knight sang the Swedish national anthem. Afterwards, the pupils took their specially made kites outside and flew them on the green area beside Athlone Civic Offices.

Later that morning, Junior Mayors from Our Lady’s Bower, Moate Community School, the Marist College and Athlone Community College took part in a special round-table discussion with Ambassadors Buxton and Jones in the chamber.

A range of issues were discussed, including the benefits of Ireland’s membership of the European Union. Students highlighted the educational, cultural and travel opportunities available through EU membership.

The impact of the housing crisis also emerged as a key issue, with one 15-year-old student expressing concerns about his future prospects in relation to housing.

The students also had the opportunity to ask questions about the role of Ambassadors and the workings of the European Union.

Deputy Mayor of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, Cllr Frankie Keena, described both ambassadors as “very engaging”.

“They were taken by the idea of the Junior Mayors,” said Cllr Keena, who founded the initiative more than nine years ago.

“They were curious to know whether it was a national initiative, and I informed them it was local to our area. They passed on their details so they can keep in contact with the schools for future projects.”

Following their visit to Athlone Civic Offices, the ambassadors travelled to TUS before concluding their visit with a trip to Ericsson.

Earlier on Monday, Ericsson had been singled out as an important link between Westmeath and Sweden during a visit by the Swedish and Irish ambassadors to Westmeath County Council’s September meeting in Mullingar.

Ambassador Buxton said that having arrived in Ireland only the previous month, this was her first opportunity to explore the country and that she was particularly pleased to visit Westmeath.

She said the county was known for its heritage and lakes, but also for its innovation and international engagement, “exemplified by the presence, for example, of Ericsson in Athlone”.

Irish Ambassador Barbara Jones placed particular emphasis on Ericsson during her address, highlighting the company's role as a global player in communications.

“There’s one of the biggest players in Swedish economy, Ericsson, in this county creating value, not only for this economy, but for Ireland,” she told councillors.

“It runs every network in Europe,” she continued, going on to add that almost 80 per cent of the fibre optic cable in use in the US was managed by Ericsson software and said its presence in Westmeath placed the county “right at the heart” of issues around research and development, European competitiveness and independence in communications technology.

Ambassador Jones encouraged the county to build on that relationship during Ambassador Buxton’s four-year term in Ireland, suggesting that the visit could lead to practical initiatives between Westmeath and Sweden.

She called for the two sides to identify “two concrete things” to follow up on, suggesting possibilities such as a library exchange or links between universities.