British envoy in Ireland to leave post

THE BRITISH ambassador to Ireland, David Reddaway, is to leave the post at the end of August, it was announced yesterday.

Mr Reddaway is to take up another diplomatic assignment which has not yet been revealed.

Mr Reddaway took up the post at the British embassy in Dublin in August 2006.

Yesterday he said it was a “great privilege” to be involved in “a number of further milestones in the relationship between the two countries”.

These milestones included the establishment of the devolved Executive in Northern Ireland, the first address to both houses of the UK parliament by a taoiseach and “a historic day when the Irish and English rugby teams first played at Croke Park”, Mr Reddaway said in a statement.

He enjoyed his three years in Ireland enormously. “We are very sad to be leaving Ireland, where we have been welcomed with such warmth and generosity,” he said, adding that he and his wife Roshan “look forward to keeping in touch with our many Irish friends”.

He was previously Britain’s high commissioner in Canada and has also been posted in Iran, Spain, India, Argentina and Afghanistan.

In 2006 he replaced former British ambassador to Ireland Stewart Eldon, who was appointed as Britain’s permanent representative on the North Atlantic Council.