With the 2019 Spring Festival around the corner, China Daily sat down with ambassadors and diplomats to talk about their understanding of Spring Festival, outlook on bilateral relations, and their New Year greetings to the Chinese people.

What fascinates Irish Ambassador to China Eoin O'Leary the most in Chinese culture is the Chinese language. As he is still wading through the Chinese literature classic A Dream of Red Mansions, he finds the language very nuanced. "Chinese culture is very much reflected in its language,” said the ambassador.

Born in 1959, the ambassador's Chinese zodiac sign is pig. As he recalls every pig year in his life, he deems the animal very auspicious. He entered a good secondary school when he was 12 and got married at 24, then followed by a big promotion at 36. Therefore in his eyes, 2019 will be a year of happiness and prosperity.

In terms of bilateral relations, 2018 was a good year for Sino-Irish relationship in areas of trade and technology cooperation. While 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ireland, more developments in marketing and tourism can be expected this year. With direct flights from Beijing and Hong Kong to Dublin launched last year, the number of Chinese visitors to Ireland is anticipated to reach 175，000 in the next 4 or 5 years, said the ambassador.

Producer: Han Lei

Production: Feng Minghui

Reporter: Hu Zhe

Camera: Yu Xiaou & Fu Rui

Lighting: Zhou Bing

Editing: Yu Xiaoou & Fu Rui

Coordinator: Hu Zhe & Zhang Xingjian

Subtitles: Hu Zhe & Liu Fang & Li Wenrui