Packed overseas programme of events for Offaly Minister
Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture and Offaly Green Party Senator, Pippa Hackett had a packed schedule of events when she visited the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and also Finland as part of the Irish Government's annual overseas programme for St. Patrick's Day.
Throughout her visit, Minister Hackett tweeted extensively about her trip which saw her meet with the Latvian Minister for Agriculture, Armands Krause, who is also an organic grain grower and beekeeper; visit a biodynamic family farm in Sirvintai, Lithuania and preside over the greening of the Vilnia river in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Minister Hackett began her trip in Finland where she met with Ambassador Ruth Parkin. On her visit she also had the opportunity to meet with many interesting people in the areas of organic farming and food, forestry, innovative timber products.
“A wonderful St. Patrick's Day reception took place in the Crypt of Helsinki Cathedral with friends and contacts of Irish Embassy Finland and the local Irish community” said Minister Hackett, before she departed the Finnish capital on a two-hour ferry trip to the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
Among the many planned events which the Offaly Minister participated in during her Estonian trip was a visit to the Pelgulinna school to meet Woodhouse Estonia the representative group for businesses working with wood in construction. The Pelgulinna school is Estonia’s largest wooden building and Minister Hackett said it was “a stunning example of mass timber use in place of steel and concrete.”
She also visited Harmet OÜ modular modular timber construction site outside Tallinn and said it shows the way Estonia is “leading the way in Modern Methods of Construction and the use of timber in producing speedy, safe, sustainable housing solutions.”
Minister Hackett finished up her trip to Estonia with a reception in the historic Tallinn Town Hall where she tweeted that she was treated to “some superb Irish music and dance.”
In a video which was posted to X (formerly Twitter) and also to her Facebook account on St. Patrick's Day, the local Minister of State, who was wearing an Offaly jersey, sent greetings from Vilnius in Lithuania and wished everyone a happy day filled with “celebration, joy, positivity and everything that is great about being Irish.”