Ireland's blessings come in many forms - funny, formal, heartfelt, and wise. On St. Patrick's Day, I'm sharing here my favourite Irish blessing.

"May the road rise to meet you, may the wind always blow at your back, may the sun shine warm on your face, may the rains fall softly on your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Today is St. Patrick's Day - the patron saint of the Irish, the national holiday of the Republic of Ireland, and a public holiday in Northern Ireland. On March 17, all people of Irish origin - over 70 million people around the world - celebrate St. Patrick's Day by dancing, wearing green, flaunting green shamrocks, eating green food, and drinking green beer. Or whatever beer. Together with the Irish, of course, everyone else celebrates if they love a good vibe and some Irish craic.

At every turn in Ireland, you can hear or read Irish proverbs and blessings. One of the most famous sayings on the Emerald Isle is this one: "Ireland, it's the one place on earth that heaven has kissed with melody, mirth, and meadow and mist."

Bulgaria and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 1990. Since then, bilateral relations between the two countries have steadily developed, underpinned by their common membership in the European Union and their commitment to European values.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to our country since October 2024 is Her Excellency Ms. Catherine Bannon. She believes that Bulgarians and the Irish are very similar because both peoples have a similar approach to life. Here is what she said:

"My name is Catherine Bannon. (Saying this in Bulgarian as well.) I joined the Department of Foreign Affairs 18 or 19 years ago, and mostly, I've been serving in Asia. I've been in Singapore. I went with my husband on his posting to Shanghai, China, so that's where I learned Chinese. One of my sons was born there. Then I went back to Ireland. I worked in the passport service for a long time, which was really interesting. Then I left the diplomatic service and went to work for the Ministry of Health during COVID-19, and that was very interesting as well.

Then I decided to come back because I wanted my children to have the experience of living somewhere different. I was born in Dublin, but I lived my childhood abroad as well. I lived in Belgium, Singapore, and New York, so I knew the benefits and challenges of moving around when you're a child."

How many languages do you speak?

"I speak a few languages, not very well. I speak Chinese, French, English, and some Irish as well. My husband and my three children speak Irish, but because I went to school abroad, I didn't learn it when I was a child. I study it now."

Have you visited Bulgaria before?

"No, but my husband had. We have a very good friend who is Bulgarian, and she tells very bad Bulgarian jokes that we didn't understand. She'd say these things, and she'd start laughing, and we'd be like, "We don't know what you're saying." Now we laugh at her jokes because we understand them. But what I realised meeting her is that Bulgarians and Irish people are very similar. I think we have a similar approach to life; we have a similar historical background. Ireland and Bulgaria are both small countries on the edge of Europe. We are both countries that have been occupied for many hundreds of years.

You got your independence a little before we did. We are only a young country. We've both dealt with huge emigration and have a large diaspora around the world."

How many millions is the Irish diaspora right now? About 70 million people?

"That wouldn't surprise me. We have many millions of people of Irish descent. Everywhere you go in the world, there is an Irish person."

Do you know approximately how large the Irish diaspora is in Bulgaria?

"That's a very good question that I do not have a very clear answer to.

We estimate there are probably about 300 permanent members of our community - people who have lived here for a good number of years. But a lot of our community here is transient. We're seeing a rise in digital nomads, people who can work from their laptop anywhere in the world, and a lot of them are choosing to live in Bulgaria, either in Sofia or elsewhere, making this their base in Europe.

We also have quite a lot of students studying medicine, dentistry, and other subjects, and they're spread across Bulgaria. So we estimate maybe a few hundred more, but they come and go, and they won't necessarily be here in a few years, making it harder to connect with them.

But if any of them are reading this or hearing this, they could follow us on Instagram or Facebook, where we post notifications on events they might be interested in. They can also contact the Irish Embassy directly to let us know they're here.

One of the things I've realised since coming to Bulgaria is that, as a small embassy, we don't have the capacity to reach hundreds and hundreds of people with massive events. Social media is probably one of the best ways for us to get our message out and communicate with the people of Bulgaria. I'm trying to do something a little more engaging on social media - give people an insight into what we're doing, into the life of an Irish diplomat in Sofia, and share a little about Irish traditions."

So, everything you knew about Bulgaria was thanks to that friend of yours?

"Yes, and I knew that if she was representative of what Bulgarian people were like, I was going to like them. But I didn't know an awful lot because I've mostly worked in Asian countries. In true diplomacy style, they send you where you know the least and don't speak the language. I suppose that's a great opportunity for me to do something totally different. Every day here is a learning experience - getting to know the very complex history and society in this part of the world. I don't think I'll ever really understand it, but I'm enjoying learning."

Do you think we have a similar sense of humour?

"Absolutely, although I still don't understand Bulgarian jokes. I think what we have most in common is probably in the societal space. We're both very family-oriented communities. We're both, I think, very strongly attached to our culture."

Which pipes do you like most?

"Is it controversial to say I'm not a huge fan of pipes? No. My children have tin whistles - a traditional Irish instrument made out of tin. When played well, they're lovely, but when played by small children, they're deeply unpleasant."

So, you're not into folklore music?

"Oh no, I do enjoy traditional music."

But not pipes?

"I think pipes, when played well, are beautiful. I have heard Bulgarian traditional music. What I'm really interested in is the Kukeri. I was supposed to see them this year, but I was sick. I had the flu, so I missed them. But I've seen a documentary, and I'd love to see them. They look amazing. The tradition in Bulgaria is still very much alive, and I think that speaks to how important culture is to the people here. One of the things that has surprised me about Bulgarians is how proud they are of their culture.

Talking about traditions, did you know that Bulgaria is the home of the Cyrillic alphabet?

"Yes, I did. I was educated a few days ago. Someone sat me down and very seriously told me that Russian comes from Bulgarian. Never let a Russian tell you that Bulgarian comes from Russian. It is the other way around, and I will never forget this."

So where have you been in Bulgaria?

"There's still a lot to explore. I've been to Sandanski, walked in the Pirin Mountains, and visited Plovdiv. We loved the amphitheatre - it looks really authentic, and it's still a functioning theatre. We also went skiing in Pamporovo. My kids realised how different their life in Bulgaria is - there's no skiing in Ireland!"

What are you planning to light up in green this year?

"You're going to be very disappointed - we're not lighting anything up in green. The greening initiative has stopped, likely due to environmental concerns over electricity use."