The Embassy of France in Ireland () is the
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
of the
French Republic
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in Ireland. It is located in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
As of September 2020, the current ambassador to Ireland is Vincent Guérend, who had previously served in a number of EU institutions (including the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and
European External Action Service
Embassy
The embassy is located at 66
Merrion Square
Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre.
History
The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand for ...
. The public entrance is located towards the rear of the building at 66 Fitzwilliam Lane.
Diplomatic relations
Relations between France and Ireland began when the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
gained independence in 1922, however, it was not until 1930 that the French
Legation
A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...
was created.
The legation was upgraded to an Embassy in 1950, shortly after Ireland
declared itself as a republic in 1948.
Former Embassy Building
In 1930, 53
Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road (''Bóthar Aylesbury'' in Irish), is a tree-lined avenue in the affluent Dublin 4 area in Dublin, Ireland. It links Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart at Anglesea Road, Donnybrook. ...
was acquired by the French government for the French legation to the Irish Free State. It also housed the official residence of the first French Minister to the Irish Free State, Charles Alphand.
Initially known as Mytilene, the building was designed by Irish architect
Alfred Gresham Jones
Alfred Gresham Jones (1824–1915) was an Irish architect who moved to Australia after 1888.
Jones was born in 1824 in Dublin, and attended the Royal Dublin Society's School of Architectural Drawing in the 1840s and spent time in London and with ...
and was completed over two years between 1883 and 1885.
The French legation was transferred from its original location in Leixlip Castle, to the newly renovated Ailesbury Road address on 7 April 1931.
In 2015 the French Embassy moved to its current location in Merrion Square and the original building continues to serve as the official residence of the French Ambassador.
Gallery
File:Former French Embassy Plaque.jpg, Plaque located outside 53 Ailesbury Road
See also
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France–Ireland relations
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Foreign relations of Ireland
The foreign relations of Ireland are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union, although bilateral relations with the United States and United Kingdom are also important to the state. It is one of the group of smaller nat ...
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List of diplomatic missions in Ireland
This article lists embassies accredited in Ireland. There are currently 67 embassies in Dublin.
Diplomatic missions in Dublin
Accredited (non-residence) embassies
Resident in London
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References
{{Ireland-politics-stub
Diplomatic missions in Dublin (city)
Diplomatic missions of France