18 June 2023
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork raconteur retires from ‘Diplomatic’ role
Dominic J Daly FRICS is a well-known auctioneer in Cork City with expertise in selling houses and boats alike. Over the years, eagle-eyed pedestrians may have noticed a sign on the ground floor of his Pembroke Street office building stating it was home to a ‘Consulate of Belgium’. Mr Daly was appointed to the prestigious part-time Honorary Consul role in 1994, and now he retires from it in 2023, after an impressive 29 years of promoting links between Cork and the Kingdom of Belgium. In 2019, Mr Daly was awarded the Order of Leopold II, at a special service aboard a Belgium naval vessel. Mr Daly was recently honoured at a retirement event in the Council Chamber, Cork City Hall attended by Belgian ambassador, Ms Karen Van Vlierberg. At the time of writing, Mr Daly’s name still appears on the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic list dated May 2023, but his name has been removed from the Belgian Embassy’s website which lists the Cork Honorary Consular role as being vacant, suggesting the European nation may be on the lookout for a replacement?
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecork.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/ambrandimages/belgium-dscf5487.png?resize=381%2C508&ssl=1)
A metal crest that adorned the exterior of Mr Daly’s Pembroke Street premises for many years.
Aged 80, with an address at Lover’s Walk, Dominic Justin Daly is also the father of Jessica Daly, who is married to Rugby’s Ronan O’Gara.
Related News: Did you know?: There are 18 Consulates in Cork https://www.thecork.ie/2018/01/21/cork-consulates/