The training ship ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ welcomed the President of the Irish Republic

The president of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visited the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ on June 9th during the scheduled port of call of our training ship in Ireland. He was honored by the ship’s commanding officer and a representation of the midshipmen and crew, with the national anthems of Ireland and Spain being played by the ship’s band. The Irish Head of State participated in a luncheon on board hosted by the ship’s CO and was later toured around the ship.

The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ had arrived on Saturday 7th from New York and berthed at Sir John Rogersons’ Quay in the River Liffey after 23 day’s runs predominantly at full sail. This is the 10th time the training ship visits the Irish capital; the last time was in 1999.

From the very first day the ship was involved in an intense schedule of activities. Upon her arrival, the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ welcomed the Spanish Ambassador Javier Garrigues. The State’s External Action was supported –among other events– by organizing a promotion campaign of Spanish products amongst local businessmen and restaurateurs; a guided visit was arranged for Irish tour operators, and the ship was also the selected venue for the prize-giving ceremony of the best students of Spanish among Dublin’s schools. The commanding officer was invited to the ‘Instituto Cervantes’ where he gave a briefing on the training ship.

Midshipmen and crew members had also the opportunity to visit two important companies: Guinness, a well known brewery and the European headquarters of Google where more than 200 Spaniards work.

As part of their training syllabus, midshipmen attended a conference on leadership delivered by General Campbell, Deputy Chief of the Irish Defense Forces.

The ship’s port of call was amply covered by the local media and was visited by more than 5,000 people during her stay. On Thursday 12th the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ set sail towards the English Channel. Her next call will be Hamburg from the 19th to the 24th of June.