President Catherine Connolly's Diplomatic Address Cancelled Due to Husband's Illness

An address due to be delivered to diplomats by President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin on Wednesday was cancelled after her husband, Brian McEnery, took ill. The President was due to address ambassadors and consular representatives of countries that have diplomatic relations with Ireland. It is understood Mr McEnery began to feel unwell while he and Ms Connolly were nearing the end of a receiving line of the diplomats. The President had been due to address them following the receiving line, but her speech was instead circulated to attendees. Attendees of the reception included Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, Palestinian ambassador Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, UK ambassador Kara Owen and Ukrainian ambassador Larysa Gerasko. [ Who will be Ireland’s ‘first gentleman’? The man behind Catherine ConnollyOpens in new window ] In her speech circulated to diplomats, Ms Connolly said the consequence of “might is right” was now “crystal clear before our eyes”. “Countries can be invaded at will, or threatened with invasion, and the UN organisations doing invaluable work in extremely dangerous locations can be demolished on a whim. “When this becomes the logic of international relations, language no longer protects the vulnerable; it simply records their fate.” She acknowledged the “important work” attendees undertook “advocating on behalf of citizens and state, and building bridges across cultures”. She added there was “more conflict now” than at any time since the second World War in places as “disparate as Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, as well as less-publicised conflicts in the Sahel, Myanmar and the Great Lakes regions of Africa”. The President also referenced the “appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza, where there is not enough food, adequate shelter or sufficient healthcare access”. “Israel’s highly restrictive controls continue to obstruct an effective humanitarian response. We must end the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza through the rapid, safe and unhindered delivery of principled humanitarian aid. “We must chart a political path forward that can lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace,” she said.