Ambassador Nicola Faganello, accompanied by Michela Magri, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin, and Fabio Bartolozzi, Honorary Consul of Italy in Galway, paid an official visit to Galway from 29 to 30 January. On the first day, the Ambassador met a large and diverse representation of the Italian community in Galway at Claregalway Castle. On the following day, he was received by the CEO of the Galway Chamber of Commerce, Ms Karen Ronan, together with members of the Chamber, with whom possible initiatives aimed at strengthening commercial relations between Ireland and Italy were discussed. Subsequently, Ambassador Faganello, Ms Magri and Dr Bartolozzi met with the Deputy Mayor of Galway, City Councillor Alan Cheevers, accompanied by the officials responsible for International Relations, Keith Finnegan, and for Tourism, Ruairí Lemann, of Galway City Council. During the meeting, the potential for a city twinning arrangement was explored, along with other possible initiatives to further strengthen ties between the Galway region and Italy. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ambassador visited the renowned Druid Theatre and PorterShed (a technology hub for start-ups and local and international companies), initiating promising contacts for possible synergies in the cultural, commercial and technological sec tors.
The visit concluded at the University of Galway, where the Ambassador met with the Vice-President, Prof. Alex Medcalfe. During their discussion, areas of cooperation were examined, also in view of the upcoming Irish (second half of 2026) and Italian (first half of 2028) Presidencies of the European Union. The Ambassador then took part in a meeting organised by Dr Andrea Ciribuco, Head of the local Department of Italian Studies, with the many Italian lecturers and researchers active at the university.
