Republic Day Chief Guest Following The Emergency: Irish President Patrick Hillery

The year 1978 saw a new Prime Minister in Morarji Desai. The year was an important watershed moment for Indian politics as this was the first time that a party other than the behemoth Congress party, the Janata party, came to power.

Morarji Desai was the leader of the Janta party and when the Emergency was lifted in 1977, the parties opposed to the Congress were united in their efforts to oust Indira Gandhi from Office. Come March 1977, Janata Party won 345 seats and Desai assumed office as the Prime Minister of India.

The Emergency was lifted, the party whose excesses were felt by the opposition and the press was ousted, and a new promise beamed on the horizon and PM Morarji Desai became the collective hope of the country to power it to newer heights.

On the eve of Republic Day in 1978, a new India, free from the yoke of the Emergency welcomed Patrick Hillery of Ireland as the Chief guest for the event.

Why an Irish President?

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Ireland and India share deep historical and cultural ties. The Indian Embassy in Ireland mentions on its website,¡¯ India-Ireland interactions date back to the 19th C(century), when a significant number of Irishmen joined the British Civil Service, medical, engineering and army services. During this period, Irish missionaries and educationists also spread out into all regions of India. Links were further strengthened by connections between the nationalist movements of the two countries since the early 1900's. Noble laureates Rabindranath Tagore and W.B. Yeats inspired each other.¡¯

Diplomatic relations were established in 1947 between the two countries. In 1951, India established its embassy in Dublin. And in April 2019, the Irish government inaugurated ¡®a full-fledged consulate general¡¯ in Mumbai.

Countries standing together in the face of terrorism

Ireland has been a constant supporter of India against terrorist attacks,¡¯In the aftermath of the Pulwama cross-border terrorist incident, then Irish Deputy PM and FM Simon Coveney issued a statement (19 Feb 2019), strongly condemning the suicide bombing, expressing concern at the increasing levels of violence in the region and maintaining that Ireland will continue to work with India and the international community to support a comprehensive international response to preventing and countering terrorism.¡¯

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Ireland investing in India¡¯s growth

The togetherness enjoyed between the two countries culminated in President Hillery¡¯s visit to India as a Republic Day chief guest and relations have continued strong over the years with Irish companies making investments in Make in India, Digital India, Clean India and Smart Cities.

¡®Ireland has strengths in sectors like agriculture; clean technologies; fin-tech, med-tech; aviation; and tourism. Major Irish companies which have presence in India are CRH Taxback Group, Connolly Red Mills, Globoforce, Keventer, ICON, Kerry Group, Diageo, Glanbia. Major Indian companies which have presence in Ireland include Pinewood/Wockhardt, Reliance Genemedix, Crompton Greaves, Deepak Fasteners, Jain Irrigation Systems, Shapoorji Pallonji, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Wipro, TCS, Infosys and HCL. Post-Covid, Irish industry can contribute to our Atmanirbhar Bharat programme, specially in digital-tech sector. There are possibilities in medical research, pharmaceuticals as well as frontier technologies like AI, i-cloud messaging, IoT, RFID, cyber security and VR applications.¡¯

AFP

India-Ireland: a hub of research

The cultural exchange between the two countries also rests on a vibrant student community,¡¯Ireland has become a significant destination for Indian students seeking higher education, particularly post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral students in the areas of engineering, technology, medicine, and management. There are about 5,000 Indian students in Irish higher educational institutions. The Trinity College and Thapar University, Patiala have an MOU for joint degree programme in five engineering and science disciplines. New forms of S&T collaboration between India¡¯s Dept of S&T and Science Foundation, Ireland are being explored. A short-duration ICCR Chair on Politics and International Affairs exists at the Dublin City University (DCU).¡¯