David full of beans as he embraces new role

City Lives – Bernie Ní Fhlatharta meets Honorary Consul to Mexico in Galway, David Niland

There was definitely a sense of celebration, a lightness in the air during a visit to the Galway Business School in Salthill to interview its CEO, David Niland.

The School had just held a graduation that day for some of their students and were preparing for an even more salubrious one the following week – the opening of a Mexican Honorary Consulate on the premises, headed by David as its Consul.

And indeed the official opening of the Consulate was a sparkling, joyous occasion attended by the Dublin-based Mexican Ambassador to Ireland, Carlos Garcia de Alba, a wide circle of family and friends of the Nilands as well as a number of business people.

The Niland family have a long connection with business in Galway. David’s father opened his Cash and Carry business in Galway City and David helped develop the Centra and SuperValu chains in the West. The family has since sold off that business and are concentrating on property and investments.

David had been to Mexico twice before his own recent trip to Mexico City as the country’s new Consul here (there are three in Ireland but it’s the first time Mexico has one based in Galway). He had travelled to Mexico in connection with the Business School as a lot of Spanish speaking students attend, but he never dreamed he would one day represent that government in his home city!

An honorary consul is a lay representative of a government in another country and acts to assist and protect its citizens. It also facilitates trade and friendship between the two countries. A consul works in a voluntary capacity and David is now one of 30 international consuls in the whole country. He has jurisdiction in Galway, Clare, Mayo, Donegal and Leitrim

He is excited about the prospect of a trade mission to Mexico and has already had a conversation with An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny about this.

Mexico, currently rated the 12th fastest growing economy in the world, will reach a higher rating, possibly the fifth place in the next decade or 15 years, David says.

He he was honoured to be asked to take on the role of consul.

“Absolutely shocked but flattered, yes,” he says smiling with his twinkling eyes in the bright Atlantic Suite on the third floor of the school. Overlooking the Prom and Galway Bay to the south and the city to the east, it is probably the best located boardroom, meeting and conference room in the city.

“I didn’t have to give it much thought at all,” he says of taking on the role. “The Mexican Embassy asked me to lunch – in Galway – and during lunch I was asked if I would be interested. They must have thought that I was ideally suited to promote Mexico in the West of Ireland. The Ambassador had visited the school before so we knew each other.

“And even if I haven’t much Spanish, there are plenty of Spanish speakers here at the school year round who will help out if I need a translation service!”

The Consulate is actually based on the ground level of the school and is already decked out with the Mexican flag, which is not unlike the Irish flag.

Recently David travelled to Mexico City to attend a conference for consuls from all over the world. Out of 160 Mexican consuls,102 attended and David saw just how serious the country was about forging links, both cultural and economic, with other countries.

The 25-year-old Business School of which he is CEO, injects about €6million annually into the city and environs. It has 70 staff and runs year-round programmes offering English classes and business degrees recognised by HETAC.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.