Ireland’s current Consul General, Fionnuala Quinlan, gave birth to her first child, a son born here in Boston on March 29, two weeks after she began her maternity leave. Said Acting Vice Consul Susan Geraghty Krusell in announcing the news: “Caelan Séamus Síva Ganti has arrived!” The infant, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces, his mother and his father, Ravi Ganti, “are all doing well,” Krusell said, “and they will be heading home from the hospital this weekend. The Consulate is so pleased to welcome our newest citizen.”

Quinlan began her posting here in September 2015, and she and her husband make their local home in South Boston. In a BIR interview published in January, she said Ravi “is from India originally but has spent more than half his life at this point between the US and Europe. But he’s still very connected, his mum is still in India. He has lived the last 20 years between the US, France, and Ireland.”

She said they will stay in the city after the baby arrives. “I get Irish maternity leave, that’s six months,” she said. “I’ll be in Boston for the majority of the time. I will, of course, bring the baby home to Ireland at some point, so that family and friends get a chance to meet him.” She expects that her mother-in-law will travel from India for the baby’s birth, and her parents plan a Boston visit in the spring. They will be here the end of May, and Ravi’s mum will be here around the time of the births, so we are lucky we will have plenty of support.”

As to the job, the Irish government has re-assigned Shane Cahill, at right, from the New York consulate to serve as acting CG in Boston.

An 18-year-old Boston advertising agency has acquired an agency in Dublin. Connelly Partners, a 150-employee marketing firm based in Boston’s South End, has purchased Dublin’s Strategem agency, which will be rebranded Connelly Partners (Dublin.) According to a report in the Irish Independent, the acquisition is expected to result in the creation of more than 60 jobs in the company’s Dublin office.

“The deal comes on the back of a long-term relationship between the two firms,” the newspaper reported. “Strategem founder Keith Lee will continue to head up the firm from their existing Dublin offices, which will now act as a European hub for Connnelly Partners… Courtney Doyle of Connelly Partners (Boston) has been appointed managing partner and will split her time between both locations.”

Connelly Partners clients include American Express Travel, CIE Tours, Gorton’s Seafood, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Breandan Ó Caollaí, who served in Boston as Ireland’s Counsul General until 2015, now is serving as Ambassador of Ireland accredited to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. He and his wife Carmel have been keeping a busy schedule from their base in Canberra, and he recently tweeted a photo with the caption, “Sadly we‘ve come to the end of our first visit to the most beautiful & welcoming #SolomonIslands where we received a true #CéadMíleFáilte (One hundred thousand welcomes) from everyone we met & everywhere we went. Slán go fóill/ Bye for now!” His Boston friends keep in touch with him via his twitter feed @breandanocaollai.

Irish Network Boston partnered with the Irish and British Consulates on April 9 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. 9. The event at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute featured a keynote address by former US Senator and Majority Leader George Mitchell, below, followed by a panel discussion. Former Consul General of Ireland in Boston Michael Lonergan was the emcee for the night, which also featured remarks from Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late US Senator Edward Kennedy. The event reflected on the historic signing of the Good Friday agreement, the enormous sacrifices made by so many, and carried a message of hope for the future of Northern Ireland.

IN/Boston will host a Second Annual Art Auction, with local Irish artists displaying their work. A variety of styles and both prints and original pieces of art will be available for purchasing. Enjoy an evening of art, conversation, and networking on Wed., May 2, at Capo Lounge in South Boston.