Prime Minister Mark Carney at a St. Patrick's Day reception hosted by Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife Mary at their official residence in Rockcliffe Park on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips
PM Carney, Ambassador Concannon toast Canada-Ireland bonds at St. Patrick’s Day reception
This year’s St. Patrick’s Day reception at the Irish ambassador’s residence was the place to be, as Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, joined a packed house of dignitaries to toast the enduring cultural, historic and diplomatic ties between Canada and Ireland.
Hundreds of guests filled the official residence of Ambassador John Concannon and his wife Mary Concannon on Wednesday for an evening of food, drink, live music, Irish dancing, traditional song and poetic blessings. The wee bit of wet weather was a reminder of how the Irish have a knack for resilience, warmth and laughter in any situation.
Those who caught Concannon in last weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade know he’s a bundle of energy and charm. Toronto Liberal MP James Maloney, chair of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Group, jokingly dubbed him the “Irish Tasmanian Devil.” “I can’t keep up with the guy; he’s truly remarkable,” Maloney said at the podium.
Attendees included such cabinet ministers as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. Canadian comedian Mark Critch, who launched his book Sorry, Not Sorry at a previous reception there, was among the guests. So was retired general John de Chastelain, who helped advance the Northern Ireland peace process by overseeing the disarmament of paramilitary groups, beginning in the late ‘90s. Upon entering the main room, the prime minister quickly made his way over to shake the general’s hand.
Even Algonquin Anishinabe Elder Claudette Commanda joked she must have some Irish blood. “I’ll tell you why — I’m as small as a leprechaun,” said Commanda while expressing her affection for the people and the country.
Mary Ann de Chastelain and her husband, retired Canadian general John de Chastelain, at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador in Rockcliffe Park on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips
In keeping with the Irish gift of the gab, the crowd listened to a series of speeches celebrating the Irish diaspora in Canada.
It’s been five years since Maloney’s motion to declare March Irish Heritage Month was unanimously adopted by the House of Commons. He joked how, as the one-time “darling in Parliament of the Irish community,” he was nudged aside as soon as Canada’s Irish-heritage prime minister was elected last year. Maloney then turned serious, crediting Carney for the high regard in which Canada is held around the world.
While the hosts showered the prime minister and his wife with gifts, most memorable was a special video prepared for Carney. It involved the participation of schoolchildren from the Irish village of Aghagower in rural County Mayo, where most of Carney’s family originates. The kids read an Irish blessing by poet John O’Donohue. Carney watched with great interest, standing beside Ireland’s visiting cabinet minister Dara Calleary, who’s the third generation of politicians in his family to represent Mayo.
Mayo is also home to perhaps the most widely read novelist of her generation, Sally Rooney (Normal People, Conversations with Friends).
From left, Prime Minister Mark Carney, visiting Irish politician Dara Calleary and Irish Ambassador John Concannon at a St. Patrick’s Day reception the ambassador hosted with his wife Mary at their official residence. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Diana Fox Carney is seen surrounded by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, MP James Maloney and Algonquin Elder Claudette Commanda at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Carney’s speech was graceful and articulate, with moments of personal reflection and humour. He described Canada not as a melting pot but as a mosaic. “It’s not just a saying, it’s a truth; it’s a distinction that matters. A mosaic doesn’t dissolve its pieces; it holds them in relation to each other. It’s an arrangement, not a blending.
“And the Irish have helped build this mosaic. They literally helped build it just a few blocks from here; Irish labourers — thousands of them — carved that 200-kilometre Rideau Canal through forest and rock with hand tools and black powder.
“Now there are five million Canadians of Irish descent. It is not a community at the margins; it runs through the centre of the country. And James (Maloney) knows every. Single. One,” he quipped.
“When I was governor of the Bank of England. I just wanted to remind you of that — no story here,” he joked once more.
Then he got serious, talking about how his office at the time wasn’t designed to make him feel humble. “I kept at eye level by the door a small map of County Mayo. Not decoration, but instruction. Whatever came through that door — chancellors, crises, weight of expectations and markets — I could remember where I ultimately came from,” Carney said to applause.
Much emphasis was paid during the remarks to the year 1847, when more than 100,000 Irish immigrants arrived in Canada, many fleeing famine and poverty. “We welcomed people to this country with open arms,” said Maloney proudly, calling it the “single greatest immigration story in Canadian history.” Next year will see the launch of the Canada-Ireland 180 cultural and commemorative initiative marking 180 years since that defining year.
Liberal MP James Maloney, chair of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Group, was among the speakers to deliver remarks at the St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Irish ambassador and his wife at their official residence. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Calleary expressed his gratitude for Canada’s response during this difficult time. His people “were met at a time of great challenge and distress by compassion, generosity, humanity and humility — traits that define Canada and the relationship we share today, traits that are needed more in this world than ever before,” said Calleary.
He also praised de Chastelain for his “tireless efforts, calm integrity and principled leadership” in Northern Ireland. He recalled growing up not too far from the Northern Ireland border in the 1980s and ’90s, when violence was a constant presence. “We thought it was intractable.”
Ireland is now the 10th largest economic investor in Canada, said Calleary while pointing out that Ireland is also the only country in the EU with English as its primary language.
Guests were invited to take home a copy of Shoeboxes: From Irish Roots to Canadian Branches, co-authored by OpenText board chair Tom Jenkins, who was there to sign books.
Crowds were entertained by students from the Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance, which Jennifer Healy continues to run in honour of her late Dublin-born mother. The kids all got to meet the prime minister and his wife, and have their photo taken with them.
Toward the end of the program, the Ottawa Rose Chorus performed The Parting Glass, sung by Sarah Griffin, Laura Hay, Sarah Thorenton, Aoife McDonald, Claire Conway and Aidan Russell. The traditional Irish song is often heard at the end of gatherings, finishing with “good night and joy be with you all.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney was all smiles as Tom Jenkins signed a copy of his book, Shoeboxes, during the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife Mary. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Irish Ambassador John Concannon welcomed hundreds to the official residence where he and his wife, Mary, reside for the St. Patrick’s Day reception they hosted Wednesday. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Canadian comedian Mark Critch, Scott Phelan, who was visiting from Montreal, Irish Society of the National Capital Region president Tom O’Neill and yet another Scott Phelan, who lives in Ottawa and works in the Ontario Premier’s Office, during the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife Mary. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Joan O’Malley — the woman who sewed Canada’s first maple leaf flag — and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of Irish Ambassador John Concannon and his wife Mary. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Carney received gifts from Mary Concannon while his wife, Diana Fox Carney, graciously accepted her gifts from visiting Irish politician Dara Calleary at a St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by Mary Concannon and her husband, Ambassador John Concannon. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, luxury realtors Reba Wilson and Marilyn Wilson from Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties® Inc. Christie’s International Real Estate, and lawyer, strategic advisor and community leader Whitney Fox and Dan Goldberg, president and CEO of Telesat, at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador.
Crowds were entertained by students from the Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance at the St. Patrick’s Day reception. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The National Arts Centre’s retired president and CEO, Christopher Deacon, with his successor, Annabelle Cloutier, who was appointed president and CEO of the NAC late last year, at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The Ottawa Rose Chorus sang The Parting Glass at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Algonquin Elder Claudette Commanda, joined by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, spoke about her love for Ireland at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Brent Conley of Royal LePage Team Realty and his wife Jennifer, vice president of philanthropy for MS Canada, seen at the Irish Embassy’s St. Patrick’s Day reception, have long been active volunteers in Ottawa’s Irish community. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Irish Ambassador John Concannon, seen smiling on stage together, have formed a good relationship since the ambassador arrived to Ottawa roughly 17 months ago. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa city councillor Tim Tierney (Beacon Hill-Cyrville) and his wife Jenny Tierney with Kevin Bosch, managing partner at Sandstone Group, at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Caoimhe Earle sang both Ireland and Canada’s national anthems at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador to celebrate the enduring cultural, historic and diplomatic ties between Canada and Ireland. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Diana Fox Carney and Prime Minister Mark Carney seen chatting with the young dancers from the Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance following their performance at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Christopher O’Gorman, acting director of development and communications at Cornerstone Housing for Women, and one of their long-time supporters, Joseph Cull, at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Dancers with the Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance, with Jen Healy on the far right, at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Mary Concannon recited an Irish poem, Beannacht, by John O’Donohue at the St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted at the Concannons’ official residence in Rockcliffe Park. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Tom Jenkins after Jenkins signed a copy of his book, Shoeboxes, for him during the St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Irish Embassy. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Liberal MP James Maloney, chair of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Group, and Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Carney and visiting Irish politician Dara Calleary watch a special St. Patrick’s Day video prepared by schoolchildren for Carney in Calleary’s Irish riding of Mayo, the county from which three of Carney’s grandparents came. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Crowds were entertained by students from the Sue Fay Healy School of Irish Dance at the St. Patrick’s Day reception. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Swedish Ambassador Signe Fenja Burgstaller, Greek Ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Prospectus partner Mélanie Vadeboncoeur and Croatian Ambassador Vice Skracic at the St. Patrick’s Day reception held at the official residence of the Irish ambassador and his wife. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Diana Fox Carney and her husband, Prime Minister Mark Carney, were special guests of a St. Patrick’s Day reception hosted by the Irish ambassador, John Concannon, and his wife, Mary. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Carney seen admiring the framed gift presented to him by visiting Ireland Minister Dara Calleary at a St. Patrick’s Day reception held Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips
This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Syntax Strategic, RBC, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, Welch LLP, and Brazeau Seller Law.
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