Mary has been appointed as the convenor of the Brazil-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group. The friendship group will develop deeper ties between our countries and the Brazilian and Irish people.
The Brazilian community in Ireland is the largest non-EU diaspora group in the country. A recent study commissioned by the Brazilian Embassy found that there are at least 58,000 Brazilians currently residing in Ireland. There are an estimated 2,000 Irish citizens resident in Brazil. Historical links are relatively significant, with the first Irish arriving in Brazil in the seventeenth century. Roger Casement was also posted to Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century, from where he carried out his famous research into human rights abuses in the Amazon. Irish Missions in Brazil have also carried out various cultural initiatives in the past number of years, most notably the development of an exhibition on historical links and a programme of events to mark the centenary of Bloomsday.
Mary looks forward to working with the group and promoting our shared values.
