Irish ambassador to Canada visits Maritimes for first time

John Concannon, Ireland’s ambassador to Canada, made his first visit to the East Coast.

The Irish ambassador to Canada visited the Maritimes for the first time this month to drum up support for the “huge opportunities” between the two countries.

John Concannon, who took over ambassador duties in August 2024, told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis Ireland and Canada’s shared historic connections could help build stronger economic ties.

“Such a special place for an Irish ambassador because of the deep, deep links and shared heritage,” he said. “Ireland is now Canada’s 10^th biggest investor. We’ve about 350 firms operating here and support about 32,000 jobs.

“The opportunity now is for us to work together.”

Concannon said Ireland could partner with Nova Scotia for its touted Wind West offshore energy project, noting they’re also looking into coastal energy initiatives.

“Our sea territory is six times greater than our land mass,” he said. “We’re a small county and we can’t do it on our own. We’d love to partner and collaborate.”

Last month, Scotland Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visited Halifax and also noted wind energy as a major potential partnership with Canada.

“It’s all about how we create the jobs locally,” she said. “I think we could do so much more. Nova Scotia and Scotland have social connections, but how do we create enterprise opportunities?”