Ireland–Philippines relations refer to the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Ireland has an embassy in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

.Embassy of Ireland in Manila
/ref> The Philippines once had an embassy 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 ...

. However, due to supposed financial and organisational burdens, it was forced to close in 2012. Currently, the Philippine embassy in Ireland are represented via

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

), with an honorary consulate based in Dublin.

History

Until comparatively recent times the story of Ireland–Philippines relations was that of a flow of Irish Catholic missionaries to the Philippines. Irish Catholic orders such as the Sisters of Charity founded houses in the Philippines as early as 1862. The Maynooth mission to China was extended to the Philippines in 1929. In 1984, the two countries established formal diplomatic relations. In the 1980s, the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The governm ...

made representations to the Government of the Philippines concerning the welfare of missionaries in the Philippines. Due to the presence of a strong common dominant faith, the Catholic faith, the Philippines has been described as ''“a sort of Catholic Ireland located off the coastline of Asia"''. A strong cultural link between the two countries is that many people in the Philippines have been educated by Irish missionaries. Irish missionary and charitable organisations such as

Trócaire Trócaire (, meaning "compassion") is the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. History The roots of the charity lie in Pope Paul VI's 1967 encyclical ''Populorum Progressio'',

were involved in opposition to the First Marcos regime in the Philippines.

Diplomatic missions

The Philippines is represented in Ireland by Antonio M. Lagdameo, non-resident Ambassador of the Philippines, who presented his credentials to President Michael D. Higgins on 19 April 2018. The Philippine Consulate in Dublin is headed by Honorary Consul Raymond Christopher Garrett who took office on 27 April 2019. The consulate is managed on a day-to-day basis by Director of Marketing and Communication Vanda Marie Brady. Mr. Garrett is the third honorary consul to Ireland, previously serving as director of operations under his predecessor Mark Congdon. Prior to this and prior to the opening of a short lived embassy the Honorary Consul position was help by John Ferris. Mr Ferris continues to be active in the Filipino community as a peace commissioner. On 30 May 2009,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

swore in Ariel Abadilla, as the Philippine's first full-time resident ambassador to Ireland. The appointment followed the announcement by the Department of Foreign Affairs of plans to open a number of new embassies and consulates in 2009 in an effort to reach out to and be of service to more Filipinos abroad who continue to move out of the country for better employment opportunities. Ambassador Abadilla presented his letter of credence on 29 June 2009 to the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

, Mary McAleese at a ceremony held at the State Reception Room of Áras an Uachtaráin in

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

, Dublin. On 16 July 2012, the Philippine embassy in Ireland was closed and in October 2012 an Honorary Consul was appointed. In November 2021, Ireland reopened its embassy in Manila.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland-Philippines Relations

Bilateral relations of the Philippines