In conversation with the British Ambassador to Ireland Nicholas Fenn.
British diplomat Nicholas Fenn previously held posts in Burma, China and the United Nations. In 1986, he was appointed as British Ambassador to Ireland.
Opening a with Nicholas Fenn conversation David Hanly asks,
What exactly does the British Ambassador to Ireland do?
Nicholas Fenn refers to a nine year old girl's definition of a diplomat.
A diplomat is a mat laid down between two countries so that both sides can wipe their feet on it.
An ambassador is a government official who does what he or she is told. Firstly, the role is representational to ensure there is a distinctively British presence in Ireland. Secondly, the ambassador must understand the country and explain it truthfully to their own government. Thirdly, the ambassador must represent the views of their own government to the Irish government.
The British Ambassador in Dublin deals on a daily basis with matters which lie close to the heart of the domestic politics of both nations.
Nicholas Fenn sees his job as helping both governments to manage and address the perplexities of 800 years of history between Ireland and Britain.
All that 800 years of history which notoriously no Irish man forgets and no English man remembers.
The job is to build on what the two countries have in common, culture, economies, the European Community, and human relationships. The objective is for the two countries to see each other as partners rather than antagonists.
This episode of 'Hanly's People' was broadcast on 29 October 1989. The presenter is David Hanly.
