This blog post was published under the 2015 to 2024 Conservative government

Avatar photo

Chris Allan

Former Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan

Part of FCDO Outreach

16th March 2016 London, UK

Celebrating Northern Ireland

This week, we and other British Embassies around the world are celebrating Northern Ireland!

Northern Ireland is a successful part of the UK, thriving economically and culturally. Check out the hashtag #NIFacts for lots of interesting details. Amongst my own favourite facts:

  • Northern Irish capital Belfast is the #1 destination globally for financial technology investments;
  • Game of Thrones is filmed in Northern Ireland;
  • One in every three aeroplane seats is made in Northern Ireland;
  • Lord Kelvin, the father of much of modern physics, was born in Belfast;
  • Northern Ireland will play in the Euro 2016 football championships, after topping their qualifying group) despite being seeded bottom!
  • Northern Ireland is consistently the best performing region in the UK in high school exams.

St Patrick’s Day, on 17th March, is a public holiday in Northern Ireland, and is celebrated there as it is in the Republic of Ireland.

About Chris Allan

Chris Allan joined the FCO in 2000 and he has worked across a range of foreign policy issues in the FCO, including security policy, the environment and Afghanistan and Pakistan.…

Chris Allan joined the FCO in 2000 and he has worked across a range of foreign policy issues in the FCO, including security policy, the environment and Afghanistan and Pakistan. He worked in the British Embassy in Tokyo from 2003 to 2006, and was Head of South Asia Group in the FCO from 2009 to 2010. He also worked in Addis Ababa, where he was Deputy Head of Mission from 2011 to 2014. His most recent appointment was in Tashkent, where he was Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan from 2015 to 2019.

Follow Chris

Links