Embassy Newsletter - July 2026

Dia dhaoibh, a chairde go léir, hello dear friends,

Welcome to our latest Embassy newsletter.

On a sad personal note, this will be my last contribution as Ambassador in Bangkok as the time has come for Sonali and me to say Slán after 4 wonderful years in the Kingdom of Thailand.

I want to put on record my thanks to the great team at the Embassy - both the current members and colleagues who came and went before me – for all their kindness and support and, above all, for their tireless commitment to work for Ireland and Irish citizens. I also want to express my thanks and appreciation to the broader ‘Team Ireland’ colleagues who work so closely with the Embassy team including the Irish organisations here in Thailand and the other Irish Embassy and State Agency teams working across Southeast Asia.

I am immensely proud of how the Ireland-Thailand relationship has grown and developed over the four years of my stewardship. The value of our two-way trade has more than doubled. We have had two rounds of Bilateral Political consultations between the Irish and Thai Governments, and we have welcomed 6 Ministerial-level visits. We marked 50 years of diplomatic relations with a comprehensive and impactful programme. We helped to restore and improve EU-Thailand friendship to the point where we now have a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and will soon have a Free Trade Agreement. And so much more.

My successor, Nora Delaney, will arrive in August, and I know you will all make her and her family very welcome, and give her every possible support as she settles in and takes over at the Embassy. I wish her every success in this wonderful role.

For my part, after 8 terrific years in Southeast Asia, I return to HQ in Dublin to work as part of the Departmental Management Team for the next couple of years.

Sonali and I will miss many things about Thailand – the food, the climate, the sights, sounds and smells…. but most of all we will miss the many Irish, Thai and international friends we have made during our time here. Please do stay in touch.

Pat Bourne

Ambassador of Ireland to Thailand