Australia–Ireland relations
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Diplomatic relations exist between
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and Ireland. Australia and Ireland share a historical connection and remained part of the British Empire until their respective independence. Over 300,000 Irish settlers migrated to Australia to escape poverty in their homeland and over 2 million Australian citizens claim Irish ancestry. Both nations are mutual members of the Australia Group,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
and the United Nations.


History

The first known Irish to arrive to Australia came with the
First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...
in 1791 when Britain shipped 155 Irish convicts to Australia after the British government created a penal colony in New South Wales. A further 7000 Irish convicts would be shipped to Australia. Between 1840 and 1914, over 300,000 Irish migrated to Australia. A majority were Catholic and the Australian Catholic Church was largely Irish-led from 1870 to 1940. Both Irish and Australian soldiers fought side by side for the British Empire during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and World War I (1914–1918), and especially during the Gallipoli Campaign. The Irish Free State secured substantial independence from Britain in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish War, and was formally declared a republic in 1949. Australia achieved independence from Britain in stages, beginning with federation in 1901 and culminating with the last removal of legislative ties via the
Australia Act Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by a ...
of 1986.


Post-independence

In 1941, Australian Prime Minister
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
became the first Australian Prime Minister to visit Ireland and he met with Irish Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. Both nations opened resident diplomatic missions in their respective capitals in 1946.Irish-Australian Relations
/ref> The title accorded to the Irish head of mission was ‘Minister Plenipotentiary Representative of Ireland in Australia’ as distinct from High Commissioner which was an “important terminological change” for Ireland. During World War II, Ireland remained neutral while Australia fought alongside the British and allies during the war. In April 1948, Éamon de Valera travelled to Australia for a six-week tour seeking support for a united Ireland as six counties of Northern Ireland wished to remain part of the United Kingdom.De Valera in Australia: 1948
/ref> However, de Valera's trip was unsuccessful as many Australian born Irish and migrants were not interested in the affairs of Ireland or had lost contact with their home nation. During The Troubles which began in the late 1960s in Northern Ireland, there was much sympathy from Australia to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which led to the formation of an ‘’Australian Aid for Ireland Organization’’. In 2000, Ireland opened a consulate-general in Sydney. Both nations have a Working holiday visa agreement.
Irish Echo ''The Irish Echo'' is a weekly Irish Americans, Irish-American newspaper based in Manhattan in the United States. In 2007, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Irish businessman and publisher of the ''Andersonstown News'', purchased the paper. Founded in 1 ...
announced Melbourne is set to get its Irish consulate. The Melbourne Irish community has long argued for a full-time diplomatic base in the city.


High-level visits

High-level visits from Australia to Ireland * Prime Minister
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
(1941) * Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (1974) * Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
(1987) * Prime Minister Paul Keating (1993) * Prime Minister John Howard (2006) High-level visits from Ireland to Australia * President Patrick Hillery (1985) * Taoiseach Charles Haughey (1988) * President Mary McAleese (1998, 2003) * Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (2000) * President Michael D. Higgins (2017)


Trade

In 2016, trade between Australia and Ireland totalled $2.4 billion Australian dollars.Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ireland
/ref> Australia exported approximately $71 million Australian dollars to Ireland with main exports including: medicaments, alcoholic beverages, sugar, molasses and honey and medical instruments. Ireland exported $2.384 billion Australian dollars worth of goods to Australia with the main exports including: medicaments, manufactured articles, pharmaceutical products and computers. Australia is Ireland's 15th biggest export trading partner globally, while at the same time, Australia is Ireland's 44th largest import source. File:ABS-5368.0-InternationalTradeInGoodsServicesAustralia-MerchandiseExportsCountryCountryGroupsFobValue-Ireland-A1829094R.svg, Monthly value of Australian merchandise exports to Ireland (A$ millions) since 1988 File:ABS-5439.0-InternationalMerchandiseImportsAustralia-CountryCountryGroupsCustomsValue-Ireland-A1829410F.svg, Monthly value of Irish merchandise exports to Australia ( A$ millions) since 1988


Resident diplomatic missions

* Australia has an embassy in Dublin * Ireland has an embassy in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
and a consulate-general in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.Embassy of Ireland in Canberra
/ref> File:Australian Embassy Dublin.jpg, Embassy of Australia in Dublin File:Embasy of Ireland to Australia July 2014.jpg, Embassy of Ireland in Canberra


See also

*
Embassy of Australia, Dublin The Embassy of Australia in Ireland is the diplomatic mission of the Commonwealth of Australia in Ireland. The embassy is located in the capital city of Ireland, Dublin. On 26 June 2020, the Australian Government announced the appointment of fo ...
*
Irish Australians Irish Australians ( ga, Gael-Astrálaigh) are an ethnic group of Australians, Australian citizens of Irish descent, which include immigrants from and descendants whose ancestry originates from the Ireland, island of Ireland. Irish Australians ...
* International Rules Series


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Ireland relations Bilateral relations of Ireland Ireland Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations