January 2026 Newsletter

February 02, 2026

A Chara   Nollaig Shona Duit!   Hello and welcome to 2026! We hope you all enjoyed the festive season!    For all existing and new members, our mission is to offer support for Irish businesses and professionals to thrive in Hong Kong and across the wider region. We provide a trusted platform for connection, collaboration and knowledge‑sharing, helping members navigate the local business environment while strengthening commercial and cultural ties between Ireland and Hong Kong.   2026 is here and it’s been a belter of a start with lots coming up in the next couple of months and there are many activities in the pipeline too! Let’s get to it!

Business News   Taoiseach Micheál Martin's visit to China   We start with Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s official visit to China - the first by a Taoiseach since 2012 - and to Beijing and Shanghai where he met senior Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji. Discussions focused on Ireland and China’s bilateral relations, with particular emphasis on trade and economic links, EU–China relations and shared global challenges.   During the visit, the Taoiseach also met Irish and Chinese business leaders with discussions on trade, investment, and commercial cooperation across sectors including financial services, agri‑food, education and expanding trade, investment and tourism links. More information here.   Following the visit, it was announced that the General Administration of Customs in China (GACC) had reopened access to the China market for beef produced in Ireland.   Fast Fact: China is Ireland’s largest trading partner in Asia with bilateral trade valued at €36 billion in 2023.    Irish Exports up 22% in First 10 Months of 2025   New figures from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office show strong growth in trade over the first ten months of 2025, with exports rising by 22% to €228.5 billion and imports increasing by 5.6% to €117.3 billion. Medical and pharmaceutical products continued to lead export performance, accounting for 55% of total goods exports during the period. Source.

Networking News   Enterprise Ireland received positive feedback following last month’s Lunch Club that they organised another in mid-January. Look out for more of these events in the future.   Along with ten other chambers, we will be holding our regular Joint Chamber happy hour on Tuesday, 27 January 2026! This event is an opportunity to network and make new connections. Such is the popularity of this event that all member and non-member tickets sold out weeks in advance.

And finally there’s another great networking opportunity on 7 February. Our friends at Hong Kong’s St Patrick’s Society are organising a St. Brigid’s Day Braai at The Hong Kong Outpost, 1pm to 6pm for a bargain HK$550 per ticket (BBQ and all you can drink). See here for more information.  No, we didn’t forget. Tuesday, 17 March 2026 is St. Patrick’s Day! Upcoming events include the St Patrick’s Ball. More on this in next month’s newsletter.

Sports News   Turning to sport now and the big news this month is that the Asian Gaelic Games will be held in Hong Kong later this year in mid-November thanks to sponsorship from the Irish Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong plus a generous donation by Chamber president, Pádraig Seif.   This year, the Asian Gaelic Games will be the biggest Irish sporting event in Asia with Hong Kong playing host to 1,200 football, hurling and camogie players and their supporters from clubs across the region and, of course, our very own Hong Kong teams.   Along with the tremendous competition, there will be business and networking events taking place so stay tuned as we bring more exciting news. If you are interested in organising an event, or in potential sponsorship or advertising opportunities in association with the AGG, drop us a line at admin@irishchamber.hk. Or, if you’re keen to try your hand (or feet or head) at Gaelic sports, then contact Shane Moore at secretary.hongkong.asia@gaa.ie for more information.  Fast Fact: The last time Hong Kong won: Men's football – 2011; Ladies football – 2019, Camogie – 2019 and Hurling – 2018

Thanks to Shane Moore for the photo.

Camogie in Hong Kong   We reached out to Amy Challoner, the Camogie officer at the Hong Kong Gaelic Athletic Association and the Asian County Board, for a quick word about camogie in Hong Kong. Camogie is the female equivalent to the male sport of hurling.   Since 2016, camogie has been played alongside hurling and Gaelic football and, despite its modest popularity, Hong Kong has emerged as one of the few places in Asia, where the sport has flourished. Kevin Chan, Alan Coyne, and Mikey Barry were instrumental in laying the groundwork for Camogie and has remained an amateur and volunteer-led initiative.     Camogie serves as vital means of strengthening Irish identity overseas and fostering cross-cultural exchange. The HKGAA promotes the sport and organises social events, training sessions, and tournaments and, while participation numbers are smaller than in Ireland, the sport has attracted Irish and local players. Teams often compete in tournaments across Asia winning trophies and providing international exposure for Ireland, the sport, and the players.    Hong Kong Abú!

Irish Rugby   For fans of Ireland’s women’s rugby, Erin King was recently named captain for the Women’s Six Nations squad. Named in November 2024 as World Rugby Women's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards, you can read more about Erin here on the IRFU website.

Coming Up   Arts and Culture Here’s something for your playlist, A Woman’s Heart is a wonderful collection of twelve tracks from stellar Irish female artists including Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O’Connell. Released in 1992, the album is now approaching a million sales worldwide making it the best selling album in the Irish chart history!

Speaking of Eleanor McEvoy, she’s going to be here in Hong Kong on 20 March 2026 at the Methodist Church in Wanchai! A prolific and celebrated Irish singer-songwriter having recorded 16 studio albums, Eleanor McEvoy composed “Only a Woman’s Heart” for the 1992 album, A Woman’s Heart. Tickets are available from www.stpatrickshk.com

As mentioned in the last newsletter, it’s Irish Theatre Year and Hong Kong’s very own Theatre du Pif is leading the charge with an intensive 5-day directing workshop and an evening conversation with Garry Hynes, the renowned founder and artistic director of Druid Theatre Company, Galway. Plus, in March, there’s a fantastic opportunity to see Brian Friel’s Faith Healer. For information on this and about ticketing, please see the Theatre du Pif’s website here.

And we bring you news about a book that’s just been published by resident Irish author, Mark O’Neill on the Irish in Hong Kong. We'll have more on this in the next issue.

We end on a sad note with the news this month about the passing, in Ireland, of Irish traditional music singer Seán Ó Sé who was best known for his 1962 hit An Poc ar Buile. Rising to prominence in the 1960s with Seán Ó Riada’s group Ceoltóirí Chualann, Seán Ó Sé later toured internationally with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann visiting Canada, the United States, Moscow, Shanghai and Havana. Story link here.

Add These Dates   Chinese New Year to welcome in The Year of the Horse – 17-19 February 2026 St. Patrick’s Gala at the Hong Kong Football Club – 14 March 2026 St. Patrick’s Day – 17 March 2026 Eleanor McEvoy - 20 March 2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – 17-19 April 2026

A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors  The Irish Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong is proudly supported by Airwallex, AMT, Atelier Bouclier, Boase Cohen & Collins, Crown Worldwide Group, Enterprise Ireland, Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, InvestHK, Kildare Village, LynxCap Investments, Precious Metals Asia, Sors, The Beat Hong Kong, and The Hong Kong Corporate Services Group. Together, these sponsors play a key role in enabling the Chamber to deliver events, insights and networking opportunities for the Irish business community in Hong Kong.

Join The Chamber   By becoming a member, you gain access to a strong business network, timely market insight and opportunities to connect with like‑minded professionals across sectors to expand your reach, deepen relationships and stay informed in a dynamic Ireland and Hong Kong business environment.   So join us.

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