Dr Ray Bassett

Dr Ray Bassett is a former senior Irish diplomat who served as Irish Ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas from 2010-2016. Holding a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Trinity College Dublin, Dr. Bassett was the longest serving Irish State official dealing with Northern Ireland, serving for two decades under Taoisigh, Albert Reynolds, John Bruton, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen. He was part of the Irish Government delegation to the Good Friday Agreement negotiations in 1998.
Ray Bassett has served as head of the Irish Consular Service and has been active in working with citizens in distress abroad, with the operation of the Passport Office and in relations with the Irish Diaspora.
His diplomatic postings have been in various locations such as Copenhagen, London, Belfast (twice), Canberra and Ottawa.
Since retiring from the Department of Foreign Affairs, he has been a regular commentator on current affairs in both the English and Irish languages. He has published several books, including Ireland and the EU, Post Brexit: Walking the Walls of the Phoenix Park; and the Traveller’s Tale.
In 2019, Yale University (USA ) appointed him as a Poynter Fellow in Journalism.