The first EU Ambassador for Northern Ireland, William D. Hanna has released his entertaining and engaging new memoir The Corncrake’s Welcome: Memoirs of a Northern Irish Diplomat.
Born in Belfast, William D. Hanna recalls his remarkable journey as the first EU Ambassador for Northern Ireland, brilliantly marrying personal story, family history and political context.
The Presbyterian ‘Son the Manse‘ tells of life in Belfast and in Co. Donegal, including his father’s meeting with Pope John Paul II and friendship with Cardinal Cahal Daly. Excerpts from his mother’s diary of nursing in wartime Belfast are both hilarious and deeply moving.
Hanna strikes a fair balance in regards to responsibilities for the Troubles, arguing for multiple British, Irish and European identities in Northern Ireland and explaining his view of Brexit ‘as a colossal act of collective folly’ through the lens of his experience as ambassador
About The Corncrake’s Welcome: Memoirs of a Northern Irish Diplomat:
The Corncrake’s Welcome continues the story of William Hanna’s family, introduced in Voyages with my Grandfather. Spanning a hundred years, these memoirs delve into the turbulent birth of Northern Ireland, wartime Belfast, and the 1960s, when Hanna was growing up in Windsor Manse, next to the Presbyterian Church where his father was the Minister.
Join the young boy, enthralled by both the orange sashes of Belfast and the green rugby jerseys of Dublin. See the teenager confronted by the Troubles, beginning to question his religious and national inheritance. Follow Hanna’s coming-of-age journey, from Ireland to Scotland, Switzerland, and France, and watch him set out on a diplomatic career in Dublin and in Brussels.
Share his joy and sorrow when he returns to Ireland, after many years serving as EU Ambassador around the world; recalls his father’s historic meeting with Pope John Paul II; and makes poignant discoveries about events a century ago.
Praise for Voyages with my Grandfather:
“Beautifully written. Very moving.” — Alexander McCall Smith, Author
“Extraordinary insight into life of Northern Ireland Presbyterians.” — Gail Walker, Belfast Telegraph
“Wonderful book. A remarkable family story very well told.” — Sir Jonathan Faull
William D. Hanna was born in Belfast and studied in Edinburgh, Limoges, and at the College of Europe in Bruges. He was an Irish and European diplomat and served as EU Ambassador in Tanzania, Uruguay, Bangladesh and Ghana. His Italian wife was born in Tanzania. They divide their time between Scotland, Belgium and Italy.