25 MAY 2023
A great evening at Mickey Martin’s with a presentation of the Très Court International Film Festival (organised locally by Alliance Française Limerick and back to Limerick on June 2nd after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic) along with Deirdre Martin and Brian Russo by way of a screening of last year’s winning short films.
24 MAy 2023
Glad to take part in a moving ceremony today in Askeaton, alongside Minister Niall Collins and Cllr Kevin Sheehan, to honour the memory of United Irishman Paddy O’Neill and his fellow freedom fighters and celebrate the 225th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion, « The Year of the French ». Congratulations to the En Garde reenactors for their usual magnificent display and communicative passion for history. Special thanks to Carmel Ryan and the Askeaton Civic Trust for the invitation and impeccable organisation. Photo credits: Sky View Photos / Eamon Doody
Delighted to meet today with Conor Sheehan, Chair of the Curraghgour Boat Club, a Limerick institution with over 60 members, to find out more about the club’s history and discuss opportunities for future collaboration on cultural projects. More on this soon…
18 May 2023
Many thanks to Villiers School and in particular to French teacher Joe Donovan for their kind invitation to award DELF certificates to their students. Both myself and Laura Le Cleach, our embassy’s French Language Attachée, were very impressed by the school, its staff and students. Really glad to meet with the visiting Vice-Principal and students from Lycée Saint-Martin du Val d’Erdre at Nort-sur-Erdre.
Great to visit also to Salesian Secondary School in Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick with our embassy’s French Language Attachée. Nice to be given an opportunity to talk to their students about the many historical connections between Ireland and France, our ever closer relationship and the importance of studying languages and French in particular. MERCI to Ms Mangan and colleagues for the warm welcome!
17 MAY 2023
Such a pleasure to attend with Laura Le Cleach, our French Language Attachée, the Ambassade de France en Irlande/UL Bachelor of Education in Languages Scholarship Awards ceremony during which three deserving students received a grant (co-funded by the embassy and the UL Foundation) to spend four weeks at Cavilam Vichy. Sincères félicitations to the three winners Eva, Helen and Rachel, their lecturers in the School of Modern Languages & Applied Linguistics and the School of Education, and to Dr Jennifer Hennessy and Dr Marie-Thérèse Batardière, behind this great initiative. Thank you to the Foundation for their support.
16 MAY 2023
An inspiring meeting today at Áras Contae an Chláir with Chief Executive Pat Dowling, Cllr Ian Lynch, Carmel Kirby (Economic Development Director), Deirdre O’Shea (Head of Tourism), Helen Quinn (Senior Planner) & Sheila Downes (Project Lead of the Kilrush Maritime Centre). The aim of the meeting was to explore ways of reviving the 30 year-old twinning between Kilrush and Plouzané and discuss potential synergies between the future Kilrush Maritime Training Centre & the Plouzané-based European Institute for Marine Studies at Technopôle Brest-Iroise. More soon!
13 May 2023
A privilege to meet Général Bellot des Minières (Inspector General of the French Armed Forces) today at Collins Barracks for the annual ceremony of the veterans of the French Foreign Legion during which Vice Admiral Mark Mellett was made Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur.
11 MAY 2023
A great honour to be invited by H.E. Vincent Guérend, Ambassador of France to Ireland, to present at the French Residence the fruit of 2.5 years of research as part of the Sarsfield Homecoming Project before an select audience of government officials, elected representatives, diplomats and academic and business leaders. Click here to read an article in the Limerick Leader, here to read an article in the Limerick Post and here to read another one in I Love Limerick. Click here for a news item on Live95 FM.
9 May 2023
On this special Europe Day, as Ireland celebrates 50 years of EU membership this year, I was glad to be invited to Laurel Hill Coláiste to hand over some DELF certificates and talk about our shared European values & the shared history between Ireland and France. Did you know that Laurel Hill Coláiste, one of Limerick’s most praised institutions, was founded in 1845 by French national Marie-Madeleine d’Houët? Many thanks to school principal Una Ui Ghriofa and French teacher Eileen O’Connor for their kind invitation and warm welcome.
29 April 2023
Extremely grateful to Deputy Brian Leddin and Minister Kieran O’Donnell for their kind words of support to the Sarsfield Homecoming Project at Dáil Éireann this week during debates on the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023.
14 April 2023
Thank you so much to Karen and Norman Ievers for their warm welcome and the fascinating tour of Mount Ievers Court that they gave to the members of the twinning committees of Langonnet and Cappamore / Doon, sister cities since 2010 and celebrating over 20 years of friendship! Delighted to be invited to preside over their retrouvailles. Click here to read an article from Le Télégramme.
3 April 2023
Delighted to welcome at Mary Immaculate College staff and students from Université Rennes 2 for a workshop on leadership and innovation in digital learning. Both institutions will also partner as part of “IDEAL Futures”, the very first Teachers Academy project involving Ireland and France, led by Dr Emma O’Brien! Congratulations to all involved!
A real pleasure also to meet today with Yannick Castellino and Sandrine Fortunato, two teachers from French vocational school Lycée Charles et Adrien Dupuy (Le Puy-en-Velay) who were visiting 5 of their students currently in Erasmus placement with Hassett Precision Engeneering in Shannon and four car maintenance companies in Ennis. Impressed by their dedication as well as by the motivation of their 17-18 year old students.
17 MARCH 2023
Absolutely delighted to attend the Adare St. Patrick’s Day Parade today at the invitation of the organising committee alongside H.E. German Ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt and to meet a French delegation from Villecresnes led by Mayor Patrick Farcy who are planning to sign a twinning agreement with Adare! Many thanks to Cathaoirleach Cllr. Stephen Keary and Cllr. Bridie Collins for their warm welcome!
16 MARCH 2023
3 MARCH 2023
Listen back to my interview with Sean Moncrieff about the Sarsfield Homecoming Project on Newstalk here.
24 FEBRUARY 2023
18 February 2023
So incredibly rewarding to see my research on Honora Burke (a side work to the Sarsfield Homecoming Project) put in the limelight by Clodagh Finn in her always fascinating column “An Irishwoman’s Diary” published today in the Irish Examiner! Click here to read the article.
13 February 2023
Listen back to my interview about the latest developments of the Sarsfield Homecoming Project on RTE Radio 1 Morning Ireland (podcast) and on BBC Radio Ulster (from 1:53:37)
9 FEBRUARY 2023
Thank you all so much for attending the first public presentation of my findings as part of the Sarsfield Homecoming Project. It’s really heartwarming to see such interest and enthusiasm in it. Here are links to some of the articles which appeared in the press in the following days: RTE News, Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Limerick Post, Limerick Leader, I Love Limerick.
8 February 2023
Following the official visit to Limerick last year by the Mayor of Dunkirk, I was delighted to welcome to Mary Immaculate College yesterday a delegation of educators and a representative from Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque hosted by Limerick & Clare Education & Training Board for some very fruitful exchanges with MIC’s Faculty of Education, International Office and Placement Office. Thank you to Dr Angie Canny, Lauren McNamara and Patricia Casserly for their time and willingness to explore partnership opportunities, and thanks to Donncha Ó Treasaigh for organising such a successful visit!
30 JANUARY 2023
18 January 2023
Thank you so much to the 12th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Defence Forces for inviting me to meet over lunch with this year’s two French cadets from Académie militaire de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan yesterday. Yet another example of the dynamism and scope of the bilateral exchanges between Ireland and France. A pleasure to welcome to Limerick SLT Grégoire Benuard and SLT Vianney de Guillebon under the watchful eye of Patrick Sarsfield!
1 January 2023
Happy new year! This year, we are celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Year of the French, when General Humbert landed in Co. Mayo with French troops and, together with the Irish rebels, proclaimed the first republic of Ireland.
31 DECEMBER 2022
25 DECEMBER 2022
12 DECEMBER 2022
Good to meet with representatives from all the universities involved in the EMERGE project today in UL, including the presidents from Université Bretagne-Sud and Université de Rennes 2. Best of luck to them all for their application to European funding. Thanks to Vice President Global & Community Relations Prof. Nigel Healey for the warm hospitality. Click here to find out more about EMERGE.
11 DECEMBER 2022
Very grateful to Ian Flanagan, CEO of Munster Rugby for his invitation to attend today’s match against Stade Toulousain. The Embassy of France in Ireland has great plans for rugby-related events ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in France. Stay tuned for more!
1 DECEMBER 2022
Great networking event for the Port of Dunkirk at our ambassador’s residence this evening. Somme good connections with the Shannon Foynes Port Company.
25 NOVEMBER 2022
I was absolutely delighted to be invited to visit St John’s Girls & Infant Boys School in Limerick last Friday and to do the countdown in French for the switching on of the Christmas lights there, alongside Deputy Mayor Kieran O’Hanlon. I was really impressed by the kids’ enthusiasm to learn French as part of the Department of Education & Skills’ “Say Yes to Languages” extremely successful initiative. Félicitations to teacher Caroline Walters and her colleagues Claire Bowman and Carol O’Reilly for their amazing voluntary work!
22 NOVEMBER 2022
I was delighted to receive, along with co-organiser Dr Liam Chambers, a Shannon Region Ambassador Award for the Wild Geese Conference organised as part of last July’s Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival! Many thanks to the Shannon Region Sports & Conference Bureau and to Failte Ireland for recognising the work done and its impact.
19 NOVEMBER 2022
Honoured to lay a wreath on behalf of France at the beautifully-designed Ennis war memorial yesterday at the invitation of the Clare Peace Park Initiative, thus concluding this month’s remembrance ceremonies. Glad to see the French Foreign Legion represented at the ceremony.
17-18 November 2022
It was a pleasure to welcome our Vice-Consul Monika Lewitowicz and French consular agent Cécile Beauvois to Limerick for a series of appointments yesterday and today with French nationals living in the city or in the Midwest region.
17 November 2022
Une réunion chaleureuse à la Résidence de France, à l’invitation de Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, et un tour d’horizon de l’actions et des projets des trois consuls honoraires de France en Irlande en lien avec les différents services de notre ambassade.
13 November 2022
Honoured to lay a wreath today on behalf of the Embassy of France in Ireland at the Limerick War Memorial for the Remembrance Day ceremony organised by the local branch of the Royal British Legion of the Republic of Ireland. Deeply moving to think that over 800 Limerick men and tens of thousands of Irish men lost their lives in Word War 1 alone.
4 – 7 November 2022
Delighted to welcome to Limerick the chair & two other members of the Quimper Rugby Club (Rugby Club Quimpérois) and attend with them the match between Garryowen FC and Shannon RFC at Thomond stadium on 4 November. We had another very fruitful meeting on 7 November with Sarsfields RFC committee members. Great plans for twinning events around rugby to be announced soon! Click here to find out more.
20 OCTOBER 2022
16 OCTOBER 2022
Heureux d’avoir été invité à rencontrer le Sénateur Olivier Cadic avec les autres Consuls honoraires de France en Irlande (Catherine Gagneux et Josselin Le Gall) et notre Vice-Consule à Dublin Monika Lewitowicz pour discuter de l’évolution de notre rôle. Merci à la Conseillère des Français de l’Étranger Laurence Helaili-Chapuis de cette initiative et merci aussi à la Conseillère des Français de l’Étranger Saida Khemira de sa présence. De riches échanges sur l’action des consuls honoraires auprès de nos compatriotes et des autorités locales au service de l’Ambassade de France en Irlande et de la diplomatie française.
13 OCTOBER 2022
Deligthed to attend a briefing from the International Rugby Experience this morning & be updated on the huge progress made towards the opening of that fantastic attraction which will tie in perfectly with Rugby World Cup France 2023. Great to see chair/rugby legend Paul O’Connell again for the occasion! Congratulations to JP McManus, Barry Hannon, James Alexander, Keith Wood and team! Looking forward to the inauguration.
29 SEPTEMBER 2022
Such a pleasure today to take 30 kids from Corpus Christi School, Moyross for a tour of the Limerick Civic Trust’s Wild Geese Museum! Educate kids about part of their local history and its international dimension is the raison d’être of this museum. Many thanks to curator William O’Neill for the warm welcome.
21 SEPTEMBER 2022
I was honoured today to be invited to take part in a ceremony of reflection organised by the Tipperary Peace Convention on the occasion of the United Nations International Day of Peace and lay a wreath on the grave of Ellen O’Leary (1831-1889), one of the most influential Irish poets and Irish Republican Brotherhood militant. Many thanks to Hon. Secretary Martin Quinn and the members of the Tipperary Peace Convention for their invitation and warm welcome.
12 September 2022
Such a pleasure to launch the new Shannon / Paris Orly connection today at Shannon Airport. The first passengers to take the flight operated by Vueling were greeted at the boarding gate with crepes from Bon Appétit – Crêperie & Catering and cakes from La Pâtisserie. Delighted to see Minister Hildegarde Naughton T.D. again for the occasion and to get a chance to publicly thank the management of the airport for their success. Click here to find out more.
That same day, I made a very interesting visit to two county Clare companies with Michèle Nissen-Sageot, Deputy Head of our embassy’s economic services: Ennis-based Organic Lens Manufacturing (belonging to French group Essilor) and Shannon-based Eirtech Aviation. French group Essilor employs nearly 800 people in Ireland, including 250 at Organic Lens Manufacturing (OLM) in Ennis. The OLM site opened in 1991 and is now producing 8 million lenses per year which are exported across the globe. You probably have some on your glasses! Beforehand, we visited Eirtech Aviation Services, on the Shannon Airport free zone. This Irish company provides tailored engineering services to international airlines and currently works on some exciting projects with French clients such as Air France, ATR et ASL. It was a pleasure to be introduced to such fine examples of the many business links between France and Ireland.
15-16-17 July 2022
With over 2,000 attendees, the 2022 edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival was a huge success. It received excellent local and national media coverage, including a special prime-time programme of RTE Nationwide! Here are some pictures.
15 JULY 2022
A Belgian delegation led by the mayors of Huy and Landen were invited to Limerick to attend the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival following last year’s official visit to those two Belgian cities by the Mayor and Chief Executive of Limerick and myself. The Belgian delegation was composed of Mr Eric Dosogne (Mayor of Huy), Mr Gino Debroux (Mayor of Landen), Landen councillors Gary Peeters and Eddy Vandenbosh, Mr Johan De Rocker (Landen City Council), Ms Stéphanie Ratz (Huy City Council) and Mr Antoine Leclère (Secrétaire du Cercle Hutois des Sciences & Beaux Arts – CHSBA). I was honoured that copies of Volume LXII of the Annales du CHSBA containing my article on the circumstances of Patrick Sarsfield’s death were presented by Mr Leclère to Mayor of Limerick Francis Foley, Chief Executive Pat Daly and to Her Excellency Ms Karen Van Vlieberge, Ambassador of Belgium to Ireland, who came to Limerick for the occasion.
14 July 2022
At Glasnevin cemetery on this BastilleDay morning as we honour the Irish men and women who served in France in 1870 and during WW1 and WW2. A wreath was also laid by Ambassador Vincent Guérend on the grave of National University of Ireland Prof. Édouard Cadic in memory of his service to both countries.
5 July 2022
4 July 2022
I was deligthed to meet this evening with all of the people involved in the refurbishment of Sarsfield’s statue. Great job! Such a joy to see that the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival and the associated #SarsfieldHomecoming Project keep inspiring the local community to celebrate and protect their heritage! Click here to read an article from the Limerick Post
22 JUNE 2022
Great networking event this evening at the Ambassador of France’s residence with President Hervé Morin and elected and business representatives from Région Normandie. Delighted that a few connections could be made with businesses from the Midwest region. À suivre…
21 june 2022
The full programme of the 2022 edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival was unveiled today! Click here to read the press release and here to see the programme…
17 june 2022
Today Ambassador Vincent Guérend was back to the Irish Midwest for the fourth time in less than a year. He was taken for a tour of the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics – Kilrush plant by Global Operations Director John Costelloe and Plant Manager Edward Cooke. The site was created 40 years ago, in 1980, with only 5 employees. It was bought by Saint-Gobain in 2002 and after over €20 million worth of investments it is now employing 102 highly qualified people and is exporting high-tech products worldwide in the fields of Food, Automotive, Medical and Energy (FAME). The Kilrush plant is one of the safest and most environmentally friendly companies of its kind. Saint-Gobain Kilrush also has a history of supporting and engaging with the local community and beyond (we’re particularly grateful to them for being one of the three official sponsors of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival). A hidden French gem on Irish soil! 🇫🇷🇮🇪
Following his trip to Kilrush, Ambassador Guérend inaugurated with MEP Sean Kelly the University of Limerick’s new Erasmus+ Projects Office at the invitation of UL’s Vice-President Global & Community Engagement Prof. Mairéad Moriarty. The event was supported by the Irish World Academy with brilliant performances by some of their students. Further evidence of UL’s strong and longstanding European focus and of the relevance of Limerick’s city’s motto Atlantic Edge European Embrace!
29 MAY 2022
26 MAY 2022
Congratulations to UL School of Education B.Ed students Maria, Megan and Rachel who were each awarded a scholarship offered by Ambassade de France en Irlande to spend a month at Cavilam Vichy to fulfil their Teaching Council requirements. Félicitations also to Dr Marie-therese Batardiere (School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics) and Dr Jennifer Hennessy (School of Education) for their sense of initiative and cross-faculty collaboration and of course to teachers from the University of Limerick’s French section Dr Florence Le Baron Earle and Stéphanie O’Riordan for their great work with the students!
19 May 2022
Thank you so much to the teachers and students of Corpus Christi School, Moyross for their incredibly warm welcome today. Delighted to get a glimpse of their award-winning short films, to see a performance of the “Walls of Limerick” dance, to hear the kids sing and talk about the connection between Ireland and France. Looking foward to our collaboration as part of next year’s Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival!
17 MAy 2022
6 May 2022
Thank you so much to the The Lahinch – Arzon Town Twinning Association for their invitation to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the twinning between Lahinch and Arzon. Glad to meet Senator Martin Conway and Cllr Shane Talty for the occasion. Such a great evening of Breton-Irish friendship! Congratulations to the Presidents of the two associations Paddy Mulcahy and Michel Coquerelle and the members of their teams and many thanks to the The Courthouse Gallery & Studios, Ennistymon for hosting us.
5 May 2022
Delighted to meet Dr Lesley Lelourec (Vice-President for Internationalisation at Université de Rennes 2) and her colleagues today at the invitation of Prof. Mairead Moriarty and hear about progress made in relation to the MoU between Irish and Breton universities, the EMERGE consortium and new cooperation projects between University of Limerick and Université de Rennes 2 in the field of sport studies!
5 ApriL 2022
Today 49 secondary-school students and their teachers from Le Likès in Quimper visited Limerick. They were welcomed by Mayor Daniel Butler and had a great time. The twinning between Quimper and Limerick is definitely active again!
1 April 2022
Glad to announce that a group of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh’s pupils will be working with their arts and history teachers on the history of the Wild Geese ahead of our festival this year! I was delighted to give them a guided tour of the Wild Geese Museum today to help them find inspiration. It was so heartwarming to see the level of interest of those students from different age groups in learning about that important episode in the history of Limerick and Ireland. Their works will be exhibited (more on this soon).
29 MArch 2022
It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Yahya Haddi, French Vice-Consul, to Limerick for a « permanence consulaire » at the service of our compatriots in the Midwest region.
21 MARCH 2022
No, he didn’t die on the battlefield of Landen/Neerwiden No, he never said ‘That it were for Ireland!’ when dying (nor anything similar) He didn’t die on August 21st 1693 He had no daughter
Yes, he died in Huy He died more precisely between August 7th & 11th 1693 He was indeed most likely buried inside Huy’s Saint-Martin’s church Most of the area where I think he was buried is still accessible nowadays20 MARCH 2022
On 20 March 1922, British forces handed over Sarsfield Barracks to the army of the Irish Free State and left Ireland. During a moving ceremony which I had the privilege to attend today, the Irish tricolour was raised by the 12th Infantry Battalion exactly as it was 100 days ago.
17 MARCH 2022
Absolutely delighted to be attending my first Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Limerick! Joyeuse Saint Patrick à tout le monde! Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit! Many thanks to Mr Patrick O’Sullivan, Honorary Consul of Poland in Limerick for his invitation and very warm welcome to a post-parade reception held at his consular office on the occasion of Saint Patrick’s Day in the presence of H.E. Anna Sochańska, Ambassador of Poland to Ireland.
15 MARCH 2022
Second meeting of our 2022 festival’s organising committee at Limerick Civic Trust this evening and first in person meeting for a long long time! Some exciting announcements will be made soon about the programme of this year’s edition of Limerick’s summer festival (15-16-17 July)…
11 march 2022
Two flights per week from Shannon Airport to Marseille, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting on May 4th, putting Provence and the Côte d’Azur on the doorstep of the West of Ireland! Bookings now open. Click here to learn more.
10 march 2022
8 March 2022
It was an honour and a pleasure to welcome Her Excellency Ms Karen van Vlierberge, Ambassador of Belgium to Ireland, at Alliance Française de Limerick this evening. Delighted to talk about the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival and to share with her the latest on the Sarsfield Homecoming project. Look forward to seeing you and our friends from Huy and Landen again soon, Ambassador!
6 MARCH 2022
to show its support for 
but local Limerick people of all nationalities who joined in and donated. 
at its best!
4 March 2022
1 MArch 2022
Myself and my fellow Honorary Consuls of Poland and of Belgium/Denmark/Finland wished to show our support to Ukraine by attending yesterday’s vigil. A deeply moving event 
. Click here to read an article about the event.
17 February 2022
Thank you to the Limerick Clare Education & Training Board for inviting me to address over 100 students from various secondary schools in county Clare and county Limerick and talk to them about my role as Honorary Consul of France, the French presence in Ireland and our historical links.
11 February 2022
Click here to read an article on Ambassador Guérend’s second day in the midwest region this month which was focussed on economic links and business opportunities with France. Here is also a summary of his visit to Rathkeale-based company DesignPro Automation. The day ended with the first annual Wild Geese Fundraising Gala Dinner organised in support of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival.
10 February 2022
24 JANUARY 2022
Merci beaucoup Lt Col Murnane, Cmdt Corcoran and Lt King of the 12th Infantry Battalion for your warm welcome! Glad to meet Lt Rivière (centre) from Académie militaire de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan who will be spending a month in Ireland. A great example of military cooperation which was formalised as part of the Joint Action Plan between France and Ireland during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit last August. Thanks also for the very interesting tour of the Sarsfield Barracks’ museum.
19 January 2022
Honoré que la Sénatrice Hélène Conway-Mouret ait fait référence aux agences consulaires de France à Limerick, Cork et Galway dans sa question au gouvernement aujourd’hui. Heureux aussi de la réponse très positive qui lui a été faite par le Ministre Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. Cliquez ici pour voir la vidéo et lire le texte intégral de la question.
24 DECEMBER 2021
9 DECEMBER 2021
2 DECEMBER 2021
Great annual planning meeting of the French embassy’s cultural services on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December, preparing an exciting programme of events as part of the French presidency of the European Council. Over 100 participants online including representatives from all Irish HEI’s and cultural partners. In Limerick, look out for increased collaboration with French Higher Education Institutions, the European Expo’s Belonging exhibition and, of course, the 2022 edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival. More on all this soon. Stay tuned!
26 NovembeR 2021
Pat Keating, CEO of the Shannon Foynes Port Company, talked about the opportunities of cooperation with French companies for plans to turn the Shannon estuary into a massive European provider of renewable energies by 2030 involving wind farms and the production of liquid hydrogen Mary Considine, CEO of the Shannon Group, talked about the need for greater connectivity through Shannon Airport and, in particular, the restoration of a direct route to Paris CDG airport to develop both tourism and business in the region Kate Fleming, Director of Fleming Medical, a limerick-based company who has been doing business with France for over 20 years, talked about opportunities for increased business between French and Irish labs and companies and stressed the importance of supply chains issues Deputy Kieran O’Donnell talked about the significant increase in maritime routes between Ireland and France since Brexit and advocated for even further connections, both maritime and aerial, between the Midwest region and Ireland’s closest EU neighbour Senator Maria Byrne talked about the importance of our cultural and historical links and the economic impact they can have notably in terms of tourism, as illustrated by the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, the annual commemoration of the Flight of the Wild Geese and celebration of our long-standing friendship
At the Ambassador’s residence earlier in Dublin, Minister Franck Riester addressed our Conseillers au Commerce Extérieur (CCE), our Volontaires Internationaux en Entreprise (VIE) as well as representatives of French companies, of the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce, of Business France Ireland and of all of our embassy’s services working together as part of the ‘France Business’ Team to develop our economic links with Ireland. Proud to be part of this great team!
25 November
Delighted to be attending the 2021 Ireland France Business Awards tonight organised by the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Network Ireland and with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister Franck Riester as guests of honour. A pleasure to meet the Prime minister and the Ambassador of Ireland in France on this occasion. #IFBA2021
21 November 2021
A pleasure to meet this week with Paris-based singer Catherine Sergent who has been teaching medieval Gregorian chant to MA Ritual Chant and Song students at the Irish World Academy of Music & Dancefor over 20 years! Good that she’s resuming her monthly intensive lessons at the University of Limerick after a 2 year hiatus. Yet another example of longstanding and fruitful cooperation in the field of higher education and performing arts between France and Ireland
14 November 2021
A moving 100th wreath-laying ceremony organised by the Limerick branch of the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland and attended by Mayor Butler for Remembrance Day this morning. Remembering notably the 1,400 Limerick men who lost their lives during WW1, many of whom in France. #lestweforget2021 Bleuet de France
30 OCTOBER 2021
Delighted to attend the inaugural Le Fanu Festival this morning in Murroe, Co. Limerick. Did you know that the eldest known ancestor of the Irish Le Fanu family was Michel Le Fanu who lived in Caen, Normandy in the 16th century and that he and his son Etienne were both lawyers and poets?
29 OCTOBER 2021
It was a pleasure to meet Senator Hélène Conway-Mouret, Secretary of the French Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence & Armed Forces Commision yesterday in Dublin and discuss all aspects of our consular activities.
22 OCTOBER 2021
At the Hunt Museum this morning for the signing by our embassy’s Cultural Counsellor Mariam Diallo of an agreement to support the Belonging Exhibition brought to Limerick by European Expo 2020 from February 2022 in partnership with the European Investiment Bank. A major event now sponsored by the Embassy of France in Ireland.
Many thanks to Matt Packer and the EVA International team for taking us for a tour of the Park Point and Spacecraft sites of phase 3 of the 39th EVA International biennal of contemporary arts, proudly supported by the Embassy of France in Ireland this year as in previous years. Open until 14 November!
21 OCTOBER 2021
Great participation for the Short Shorts from Europe Film Festival in #Limerick presented by EUNIC Ireland and hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon on the Moylish campus.
20 OCTOBER 2021
Having been elected to the board of Alliance française Limerick back in May and after consultation with the other directors and with the Limerick Civic Trust, I’m glad to announce that Alliance française Limerick will now be the co-organiser of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival with the Civic Trust.
17 OCTOBER 2021
Really glad to meet with members of the Guingamp-Shannon twinning committees today ahead of their meeting with Co. Clare cathaoirleach PJ Ryan and Cllr Michael Begley tomorrow. The two sister cities are celebrating 30 years of active relationship and have big plans!
15 OCTOBER 2021
The Mayor of Limerick Daniel Butler and the Mayor of Quimper Isabelle Assih met virtually today to discuss ways of re-igniting the twinning between the two cities which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. A very fruitful and warm meeting. Also in attendance were working group members Senator Maria Byrne, Cllr Sasa Novak, Jan O’Sullivan, Fearghal Naughton and myself on the Limerick side, and Cllr Doriane Le Treust (in charge of twinnings) and Cllr Patrice Trevetten (in charge of international relations) on the Quimper side. Potential partnerships in the following areas were discussed: Third-level, Secondary-school exchanges, Music, Sport, Green energy and Digital economy. One-to-one contacts will be established with local stakeholders in each area. And as a special gift from Limerick to its sister city to celebrate the revival of the connection, Les Paddys will be performing a gig in Quimper on October 30th! This will mark the first step towards a renewed relationship.
28 SEPTEMBER 2021
Delighted that the Limerick City & County Council decided yesterday to revive its longstanding twinning with Quimper! A working group is being set up to explore possible initiatives. Its first meeting on Friday 1st October will be chaired by Mayor Daniel Butler. Feel free to send us your ideas!
24 SeptEMBER 2021
Delighted to support this great competition, the first of its kind organised by Association Irlandaise des Professeurs de Langue Française (AIPLF), the new Irish association of primary and secondary teachers of French. Hoping to see many schools in the Midwest region encourage their TY pupils to participate!
26 AUGUST 2021
I was honoured to meet and have a warm exchange with French Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian during the inauguration of the new name of the Lycée français d’Irlande (now Lycée français international Samuel Beckett) in Dublin on the occasion of President Macron’s official visit to Ireland.
19-20 July 2021
I was delighted to travel to Huy and Landen at the invitation of the local authorities with the Mayor of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler and Chief Executive Dr Pat Daly to honour the memory of Patrick Sarsfield and visit the two places that last saw the Earl of Lucan alive. Our trip enabled us to meet with the Mayors of the two cities as well as with Minister Christophe Collignon and to plan the next steps of the Sarsfield Homecoming Project. I was particularly pleased to meet with Ms Stéphanie Ratz, Acting Chief Executive of the city of Huy, with whom I have worked closely on the project. In Landen, we were invited by local historians to a fascinating tour of the battlefield where Sarsfield was fatally wounded in 1693. Click here to read an article and watch a video of the trip.
9-10-11 July 2021
The third edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival was a great success! From the opening gig by Los Paddys at the Milk Market and the inauguration of the Wild Geese Museum to an afternoon of fun and historical reenactments by the En Garde association in the new gardens of the Hunt Museum, a public talk in the People’s Park, the departure of the Sarsfield Ride Cycling Tour, the unveiling of a plaque in honour of the 1690 women of Limerick, a ceremony at Limerick’s Castle with a fantastic performance of ‘Cuimhnigh ar Sarsfield: Wild Geese Suite’, a specially-commissioned piece of music and dance composed by Dr Francis Ward and choreographed by Scoil Ui Ruairc, without forgetting a mini-regatta of traditional fishing boats on the Abbey River, this year’s festival edition was packed with events commemorating the Flight of the Wild Geese and celebrating the longstanding friendship between Ireland and France. We were also honoured that H.E. Vincent Guérend, Ambassador of France to Ireland chose to make his first official visit outside Dublin to Limerick on the occasion of the festival and spent two days in the Treaty City. Click here to access the full programme of the festival. You can read here an article about the inauguration of the Wild Geese Museum and here to read another one about the unveiling of the plaque in honour of the women of Limerick. And here is a slideshow of some photos from the festival and ambassador Guérend’s visit…
2 July 2021
Nice meeting with Mr Kevin McGreavy, Honorary Consul of Ireland in Toulouse to discuss our respective roles and possible areas of cooperation.
11 June 2021
It was a pleasure to be invited to address the first cohort of pupils who graduated from the UL Academy for Children, a great initiative by the University of Limerick’s Access Office aimed at helping kids better negotiate the often challenging transition between primary and secondary school while, at the same time, familiarizing them with third-level education. I was particularly glad that the learning of French was a key part of the pilot programme. Click here to read more about it.
Glad to attend the AGM of Limerick’s FLAM association (Les Enfants francophones de Limerick) at the invitation of its committee to discuss ways of recruiting more pupils.
7 May 2021
Delighted to take part in a meeting organised by the French embassy in Dublin between the Department of Education & Skills, the French ministry of Education and French and Irish providers of initial teacher education with a view to explore potential cooperation as part of the European Commission’s Teacher Academy initiative. Two further very fruitful meetings between potential partners took place on Friday 4 and Thursday 10 June. I was glad to chair the June 10th meeting which led to the creation of a number of teams bringing together French and Irish ITE institutions.
25 April 2021
Thank you to the Limerick branch of the Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland for inviting me to lay a wreath at the city’s War Memorial this morning in memory of the tens of thousands of WW1 soldiers who died during the Gallipoli campaign 105 years ago, many of whom from Ireland and France. #LestWeForget #NeverAgain
9 APRIL 2021
With only three months to go before the launch of the 2021 edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, I was delighted to hold the 5th meeting of the festival’s organising committee today. Still a lot of work to do to finalise the budget and programme of our weekend-long event which will take place on 9, 10 and 11 July in Limerick, but we are getting there! For more about the festival, please follow @LimerickWild on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
5 MARCH 2021
A pleasure to meet today with two specialists of the battle of Landen/Neerwinden, Messers. Wim Uyttebroek and Eric Wauters, and with Mr Nicholas Whyte, Belgium-based descendent of Honora Burke’s family! Some great opportunities for cooperation in the near future. More on this soon. #SarsfieldHomecoming
4 March 2021
Really happy to meet with the committee of the Society for Old Lucan this evening to answer their questions about the #SarsfieldHomecoming Project.
2 March 2021
Click here to listen to the interview I gave to Denis Holton on Wired FM about the 2021 edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Fesrtival and the Sarsfield Homecoming Project.
22 February 2021
Fascinating conversation today with Dr René Gapert, forensic anthropologist, about the various techniques used to analyze and identify skeleton remains (from DNA sampling to facial reconstruction)! Thank you for your time and advice Dr Gapert.
21 February 2021
Click here to listen back to the interview given yesterday to Trevor Anderson on Live95fm ‘In the County’ and David O’Brien (Limerick Trust CEO) about the latest developments in the Sarsfield Homecoming Project.
20 FEBRUARY 2021
I am delighted to announce that, following my call for assistance, the Service historique de la Défense (the history department of the French defense ministry) got back to me and have offered their help in our search for Patrick Sarsfield’s remains!
19 February 2021
New developments for the Sarsfield Homecoming Project. We can now reveal that the site where we believe Patrick Sarsfield to be buried is still accessible nowadays! Watch a full explanation here.
16 February 2021
The Sarsfield Homecoming project is making national news today (pictures is an article in The Independent)! Check out my radio interview with Sean Moncrieff on Newstalk and click on the following titles to read articles: Irish Times, RTE News, Irish Examiner, Limerick Leader, Limerick Post and I Love Limerick.
26 January 2021
This year, the Embassy of France in Ireland, in association with the Alliance française network and local cultural partners, has organised an extended Green Night of Ideas from 26 January to 28 February. Among the many films showns, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s 2009 documentary Home will be screened online for free and Irish schools have been invited to watch it and use an educational toolkit with their pupils. Six schools from the Midwest region will be taking part in this initiative (click here to read an article from ilovelimerick). The Consular Agencies of France in Limerick and Galway have also partnered with the Embassy of France to organise the Irish premiere of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s latest film, Legacy.
16 January 2021
I wish to extend my sympathy to the family and friends of Normandy veteran Henry Place, chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, who passed away yesterday in Limerick. Forever grateful to him and all the brave soldiers who fought to liberate and Europe from Nazi occupation. May he rest in peace. Click here to read an Irish Times article about Mr Place dating from 2015.
31 December 2020
24 DECEMBER 2020
10 DECEMBER 2020
Delighted to attend the Short Shorts from Europe Film Festival at Limerick Institute of Technology tonight, an event organised by EUNIC Ireland, with the support of the French embassy in Ireland and the Limerick School of Arts & Design. An interesting selection of European short films!
1 DEcember 2020
The Sarsfield Homecoming Project and the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival made national news! Watch this TV report from RTE1 here.
26 November 2020
Sent today: a letter to the Mayor (‘Bourgmestre’) of Huy, in Belgium, presenting the #SarsfieldHomecoming project and asking for his support in trying to locate the remains of the 1st Earl of Lucan. Hoping he’ll be able to provide us with an ancient map of the town, for a start…
14 November 2020
#Sarsfieldhomecoming PROJECT UPDATE! What happened to Patrick Sarsfield during the last years of his life and what exactly do we know about his death?
I asked asked Dr Liam Irwin, one of the best specialists of the period… Watch here
Delighted to co-chair today the first general meeting of the organising committee of the 2021 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival. Thank you to all the participants for accepting to join the Consular Agency of France in Limerick and the Limerick Civic Trust, co-organisers of the Treaty city’s new annual festival, to help us put together what will clearly be an outstanding programme of events for July 2021!
12 NoVEMBER 2020
Delighted to have taken part today in the ‘Soirée des associations’, an evening dedicated to French associations in Ireland, organised by the embassy.
6 Novemer 2020
Sincere thanks to Ms Uí Ghríofa, principal of Laurel Hill Colaiste and French teacher Ms Eileen O’Connor for giving me the opportunity to pay tribute to Samuel Paty by discussing freedom of speech with their pupils. Thanks also to students Dharma and Eileen for their reading of the two French texts (pictured here).
6 October 2020
Communiqué de presse conjoint de l’Agence consulaire de Limerick et du Limerick Civic Trust.
2 October 2020
Some great news came through the letterbox this morning! More on this soon…
25 September 2020
Delighted to meet today with Dr Mihai Bilauca, economic co-ordinator of the Irish-Romanian Cultural and Business Association to discuss possible future local cooperation to promote EU solidarity and the benefits of intercultural exchanges.
11 September 2020
Always a pleasure to meet with Jerry Hallissey, Head of Business Development, Shannon Foynes Port Company, to discuss the SFPC’s ambitious development plans. Huge potential for Limerick/Foynes to become a nerve centre for cargo imports/exports to and from continental Europe (via French ports) and North America.
10 July 2020
A special ceremony was held on Merchants Quay today to commemorate the Flight of the Wild Geese and celebrate the friendship between France and Ireland. This ceremony was replacing the second edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival which was scheduled to take place at King John’s Castle on 12 July and which had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was jointly organised by the Consular Agency of France in Limerick and the Limerick Civic Trust, with the support of the Limerick City & County Council, the 12th Infantry Battalion of the Defences Forces and members of the Limerick branches of veteran associations (Irish Naval Association, I.U.N.V.A. and O.N.E.). Click here to read an article by RTE news and here to read an article by the Limerick Post and here to watch a video of the event.
22 April 2020
The Consular Agency of France in Limerick showed its support to the staff of the Intensive Care Unit of University Hospital Limerick today by delivering over 160 treats generously created by chef Thomas Fialon (The French Table Restaurant and BIA café). We are all in this together!
31 March 2020
For information and advice, click here to visit the dedicated page of the French embassy’s website.
15 March 2020
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, please note that all public engagements of the Honorary Consul of France in Limerick are suspended until further notice.
27 February 2020
Delighted to meet Patrick Cullivan tonight and attend his amazing one-man show both hilarious and so instructive! Learning so much about the events that led to 1798, the famous Year of the French. Thanks to Belltable Limerick and Marketa Dowling for the invite.
Thank you to the International Education Division of the University of Limerick, and in particular to Denise Flannery (Deputy Director) and Danielle McNamara (in charge of incoming students) for meeting with me today and for putting a room at my disposal so I could establish proxies for French Erasmus students willing to vote in the upcoming French local elections.
14 February 2020
It was a privilege to attend the Future Living conference at the Limerick Institute of Technology. A great range of speakers, including renowned biochemist Sir David King. Thank you to Prof. Vincent Cunnane, President of LIT, and his team for the warm welcome. Hoping to develop the links between LIT and France in the near future.
30 January 2020
I was delighted to attend the unveiling of Limerick’s new visual identity at St Mary’s Cathedral today. Click here for a great report by Meghann Scully for the Limerick Post Show capturing the sense of excitement around the event! #LimerickEdgeEmbrace
On the day of the first event to appear on the calendar of the European Expo 2020 (The Night of Ideas), I was delighted to attend a ceremony at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick during which the European flag was raised. As a sign of support to the European Expo, MIC has pledged to have the EU flag fly high on campus throughout the year. You can watch a video of the event here and learn more about the European Expo 2020 by clicking here.
Full house and great success for Limerick’s first ever ‘Nuit des Idées’ at One Pery Square with some mesmerizing musical and theatrical performances, a two-hour long French documentary (Demain by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent), a wine reception offered by the Consular Agency of France in Limerick and Alliance française Limerick, and a lively conversation between the audience and our three special guests, Dr John Morrissey (Department of Geography at Mary Immaculate College), Ms Madeleine Lyes (Irish Pedestrian Network / +CityxChange) and Ms Roisin Buckley (Limerick Cycle Bus).
26 January 2020
Thanks to French Senator Christophe-André Frassa (representative for French nationals living abroad) who, after a series of meetings in Dublin and Cork yesterday, came especially to Limerick with UFE Irlande President Charles Eder so we could meet over breakfast this morning. An interesting conversation about Limerick, the French presence in the Midwest region and the upcoming 2nd edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Fest (at King John’s Castle on 12 July).
20 January 2020
It was an absolute pleasure to visit the People’s Museum. The work done by its curator Dr Rose Anne White, her team and the Limerick Civic Trust is nothing short of fantastic! A must-see Limerick attraction for locals and tourists alike. Thank you for the tour!
16 January 2020
Thank you to Lt Col Robert Kiely for inviting me to Sarsfield Barracks before his departure to Syria to meet with Sgt Major Stan Hurley and Sgt Ronan Corcoran to discuss the organisation of the 2nd edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Fest which will be held at King John’s Castle on Sunday 12 July 2020. Delighted to have yet again the full support of the Irish Defence Forces for that commemoration of the Flight of the Wild Geese and celebration of the great friendship between France and Ireland!
#europeanexpo2020
14 January 2020
The Business Development team of the Shannon Foynes Port Company presented their ambitious expansion plans to H.E. Ambassador Crouzat at the French embassy in Dublin today. Hoping that French businesses and French port and shipping companies will become a key part of that plan!
9 January 2020
It was a pleasure to attend a delicious business lunch and great presentation of the exciting Limerick Food Professionals project at The French Table restaurant last week with Limerick Chamber CEO Dee Ryan and Network Manager Anne Morris, with Irish Hotels Federation President Elaina Fitzgerald Kane and Shannon branch Chairperson Dermot Kelly and with Director of the Office of the President of University of Limerick Marta Guzniczak. Merci Chef Thomas Fialon, co-owner Deirdre Fialon, Project Development Manager Patricia Moloughney and all the Limerick Food Professionals team for your great hospitality and best of luck for the launch of what will hopefully become one of Ireland’s centres of excellence in the training of restaurant staff and future food business owners.
1 January 2020
31 December 2019
16 December 2019
Thank you to UL President Dr Des Fitzgerald and Irish World Academy of Music & Dance Director Dr Sandra Joyce for their warm welcome at the University of Limerick today to talk about adding a French touch to the upcoming North Atlantic Fiddle Convention 2020 to be held in Limerick from 24 to 28 June. A fruitful meeting with them and Dr Niall Keegan (NAFCo2020 Chair), Dr Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain (Irish World Academy of Music & Dance) and Dr Pippa Little (Assistant Arts Officer, Limerick City & County Council). More on this soon!
#europeanexpo2020
6 December 2019
2 December 2019
Annual meeting of the ‘conseil d’orientation stratégique’ of the embassy’s cultural services in Dublin yesterday. Brace yourselves for a year packed with fantastic cultural events supported by the French embassy in Ireland in 2020! In Limerick, watch out for Nuit des Idées, EuropeanExpo 2020, Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, Erasmus Days 2020, ADEFFI 2020 and much more to be announced soon! Stay tuned!
19 November 2019
Thank you to Shane Hartigan, Leo Colgan & Denis Ahern (pictured) of Integrated Media Solutions for inviting me to visit their Limerick head quarters today. IMS is one of many companies in Midwest Ireland willing to do business with France. Some great job opportunities to be announced soon. Stay tuned!
18 November 2019
Thank you to Jerry Hallissey, Head of Business Development of the Shannon Foynes Port Company for inviting me to visit the great port facilities at their site in Foynes. Good follow up meeting and huge potential for direct import/export between the Midwest region and France. More on this soon!
15 November 2019
I was delighted to attend the launch of the Limerick Electronic Arts Festival (LEAF 2020) at St Mary’s Cathedral today at the invitation of the organisers Joe Clarke (CWB, LEAF Promoter), Paul Boland (CWB, LEAF Producer) and Sheila Deegan (Limerick City & County Council). A pleasure to meet futurist Anne Lise Kjaer and watch great performances by Chime Out choir and Glasshouse Music. Looking forward to seeing the full programme of events. Click here to read an article from I Love Limerick about today’s launch.
11 November 2019
Such a pleasure to attend the 7th annual MidWest Tourism Ball of the Irish Hotels Federation this evening at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare. Congratulations to the award winners and thank you to Shannon Group plc for their kind invitation and to the organisers for their warm welcome.
10 November 2019
It was a privilege and an honour to attend the very moving Remembrance Day ceremony organised by the Limerick branch of the Royal British Legion today and to lay a wreath on behalf of the embassy of France in memory of all those who lost their lives on the battlefields of World War 1 and World War 2. Lest we forget.
6 November 2019
So glad to have attended the media event today at which Shannon Airport and Aer Lingus announced the opening of a new route to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport! This is such good news for tourism and businesses in the Mid-West region and for all the people who have relentlessly called for this to happen! Click here to read a press release from the Consular Agency of France in Limerick, here to listen to Clare FM Gavin Grace’s report on today’s announcement and here to watch a video of the event.
5 November 2019
Thank you to the Limerick Chamber of Commerce for a very instructive briefing on the Copenhagen Economics report on the impact of aviation policy on the economic development of the Midwest region. Huge potential for Shannon Airport to become a major European hub with some governmental support!
28 October 2019
Such a privilege to open the Saint Martin’s Fair Conference this evening celebrating the cosmopolitan nature of medieval Limerick alongside the Mayor of Limerick City & Council, Cllr Michael Sheahan, and Her Excellency Else Berit Eikeland, Ambassador of Norway to Ireland. Thank you to the organiser Dr Cathy Swift for putting together such a great event. Click here for the full programme.
16 October 2019
Great turnout for the launch of Alliance française Limerick’s monthly French Film Club at One Pery yesterday evening in the comfort of the magnificent Drawing Room. Delicious canapés and wine generously provided by One Pery. Congratulations to Alliance française Limerick’s Cultural Officer Maria Hennessey, Cultural Coordinator Anne Blondelle and Teacher Claire Lapergue without whom that great initiative would not have been possible. Can’t wait for next month’s film!
14 October 2019
Delighted to attend a very successful networking event organised by Business France Ireland with Agence de Développement Economique de la Région Occitanie and Aerospace Valley at Shannon Airport today where no less 13 French aeronautical companies met with Shannon’s International Aviation Services Centre. Shannon Airport and the Midwest region as a major European hub in the making!
13 October 2019
What a pleasure to meet with the Ballina-Killaloe/Basse-Goulaine twinning committees this weekend. Thank you to Patricia and Eddie Moore for being such great hosts on Saturday and to Clare and Tipperary County Councils for their warm welcome yesterday in Ballina. A great evening spent in the company of Co. Tipperary cathaoirleach Cllr Joe Hannigan, Co. Clare Cllr Tony O’Brien, and Basse-Goulaine Deputy Mayor José Godinho and Municipal Councillors Frank Cosnefroy & Sylvie Hary celebrating the developing friendship between Ballina-Killaloe and Basse-Goulaine.
7 October 2019
A pleasure and an honour to meet the members of the Limerick branch of the Organisation of National Ex-Service men & women today. Thank you to President Garrett Ryan and all the other veterans for their warm welcome. ONE members are doing such a great job in remembering those who died in service and supporting those who retired. So sad to hear that some veterans involved in peace-keeping missions for the United Nations are sleeping rough. Support the ‘Sleeping Flags‘ initiative! Looking forward to seeing ONE members again for Remembrance Day. (Thanks to Denis Carroll for the beautiful book Images of Sarsfield Barracks and to Branch Secretary Christopher Barr for the photos).
Thank you to Shannon Foynes Port Company’s Harbour Master Michael Kennelly and Business Managers Sean McGowan and Mark Connolly for a very detailed presentation of the SFPC’s ambitious expansion plans focused on connections with French ports. Between Shannon Airport and the Shannon Foynes Port Company, the Midwest region could soon become home to two major European hubs with direct links to France, aka Ireland’s soon-to-be closest EU neighbour.
30 September 2019
A book of condolence in memory of former President Jacques Chirac was opened by the Consular Agency of France in Limerick on Monday 30 September, declared National Day of Mourning in France. Some very touching tributes to the late President and a much-appreciated visit by Senator Maria Byrne. Thank you to Alliance française de Limerick for accommodating us.
21 September 2019
Delighted to attend the great gathering of Irish/Breton twinning committees organised by the Association Bretagne Irlande & Pays Celtes on board Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven. A great way to share good practices and ideas of exchanges between twinned cities. A pleasure to meet members of the very active Lahinch/Arzon twinning committees from both sides of the Celtic sea and to have lunch with Cllr Martin Ryan (Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Municipal District of Cappamore-Kilmallock) and Julie Hogan and Edel O’Flynn (members of the Cappamore/Langonnet Twinning Committee).
9 September 2019
Very glad to take part in the second workshop on the organisation of European Expo at the Limerick City Council this morning and then to attend the official launch of that fantastic initiative at the Hunt Museum with former Mayor and current Cathaoirleach of the Metropolitan District of Limerick Cllr James Collins. A lot of exciting events in the making to bring Europe to Limerick in 2020 thanks to John Moran’s drive and vision and under the leadership of Jill Cousin, CEO of the Hunt Museum. European Expo will be organised in partnership with the European Investment Bank and with the support of Limerick City Council and the city’s higher education institutions. More on this soon.
29 August 2019
A very instructive meeting today at Shannon Airport with Mayor of Clare Cllr Cathal Crowe, Shannon Group CEO & President of Shannon Chamber of Commerce Mary Considine, Shannon Group Director of Public Affairs Caroline Kelleher and Head of Communications Nandi O’Sullivan, Shannon Airport Managing Director Andrew Murphy, as well as Cllr Tony O’Brien (Chair of Clare County Council Twinning Committee) and Ann Reynolds (Clare County Council Corporate Services). Thank you to Managing Director Andrew Murphy for the warm welcome and guided tour of the the airport’s facilities. Looking forward to working together with all the meeting attendees to strengthen the links between France and County Clare. Click here to read a press release from the Clare Echo.
14 July 2019
First ever large-scale celebration of Bastille Day and launch of Limerick’s annual Wild Geese Festival at King John’s Castle today! Thank you to Mayor Michael Sheahan, to the Arts Office of the Limerick City & County Council and, in particular, to Sheila Deegan for their decisive support. Thanks also to Shannon Heritage, our host, to the Irish Defence Forces and to all the volunteers without whom today’s great event could not have happened: Mr Thomas Sheehan, President of the French Foreign Legion Association of Ireland, Mr Cornelius O’Sullivan and the En Garde Association members and Ms Eileen O’Connor and the Board of Directors of Alliance française Limerick. See you all on 12 July 2020 for an even bigger event! (pictures are from Shauna Kennedy, Morning Star Photography). Click here to watch RTE1’s coverage of the event.
14 July 2019
Such an honour to attend the National Commemoration Day ceremony in Limerick and pay tribute to all the Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on UN missions. Thank you to Mayor Sheahan for the invite and to Limerick City & Council, the veterans and the Defence Forces for their very warm welcome.
10 July 2019
Thank you to DesignPro Automation and its sister company DesignPro Renewables for inviting me to meet their teams and visit their facilities in Rathkeale. Both companies have extensive links with France and some potential opportunities for further connections were discussed at our meeting today. Something to keep in mind for the future. Click here to find out more.
6 July 2019
Great meeting in Carrigaline today with my fellow French honorary consuls Catherine Gagneux and Josselin Le Gall, with Jim Kelly (President of Carrigaline Twinning Association) and Michelle Murphy (Public Relations Officer), as well as with Jean-Claude Quer and Sylvie Rufet (President and former President of Bretagne-Irlande et Pays Celtes). A lot of fruitful exchanges on the organisation of a major gathering of Breton-Irish twinning committees in Ringaskiddy on 21 September 2019 onboard Brittany Ferries’ MV Pont Aven. More on this soon.
28 June 2019
Thank you to Sgt Andrew O’Riordan and his colleagues from Henry Street and Mayorstown Garda Stations for taking me for a tour of their offices today. Great to learn about all the procedures French nationals might have to go through and meet with the dedicated men and women who keep our community safe. Really felt like one of them in the end!
24 June 2019
A very fruitful meeting with Mayor of Limerick City & County Michael Sheahan this evening. Some exciting events in the making to celebrate the friendship between France and France in Limerick… Stay tuned!
19 JUNE 2019
Delighted to have been invited to take part in a fascinating two-hour long brainstorming workshop organised by John Moran (Chairman of the Hunt Museum) and Jill Cousins (Museum Director) about ‘European Expo’, an inspiring and very ambitious project which will hopefully take place in Limerick in 2020. More on it soon.
18 June 2019
Thank you to Deputy Mayor Adam Teskey and all the guests who attended the reception offered by H.E. Mr Stéphane Crouzat, Ambassador of France to Ireland, at the Limerick Chamber of Commerce, on the occasion of the award of my exequatur. Many thanks also to Ms Dee Ryan, CEO of the Limerick Chamber for hosting the event.
Looking forward to working with all the invitees in the months to come to further develop the already strong connections between France and counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. More photos from Morning Star Photography can be found here and a great video courtesy of the Limerick Chamber can be watched here.
18 JUNE 2019
Thank you to John Moran, Chairman of the Hunt Museum, for inviting me along with H.E. Ambassador Stéphane Crouzat for a private tour of the great exhibition of Osbourne & Lavery’s paintings. A must see at the Hunt Museum in Limerick until 30 September.
14 June 2019
Launch of the first step of the SisterVillesIRL project aimed at enabling French-Irish twinned cities to share examples of good practice with others. Follow @SisterVillesIRL on Twitter for more details.
13 June 2019
Fascinating meeting today with Thomas Fialon, chef and owner of The French Table restaurant, as well as BIA café and La Pâtisserie (all in Limerick), to discuss his exciting project of founding a Limerick Food Academy. The aim of this academy would be to train future restaurant staff and managers and meet the need for highly-qualified personnel of hotels and restaurants in the region and beyond. More on this soon.
10 June 2019
Absolutely delighted to meet today with amateur historian Cornelius O’Sullivan, President of ‘En garde’, an association of Irish people who, for the past 20 years, have dedicated their spare time to re-enacting episodes of French-Irish history to celebrate the longstanding friendship between our two countries. Our meeting today will pave the way for the organisation of a number of events in Limerick and the Mid-West, hopefully starting very soon… Stay tuned!
30 May 2019
Happy to attend the launch of Dominique Le Meur‘s latest book La promesse de Dublin at The Granary Library in Limerick this evening, along with my predecessor Marie Hackett. A Lecturer in French at University of Limerick, Dominique Le Meur has already written 5 other novels, all set in Ireland.
30 May 2019
Thank you to BDO Limerick for their invitation to visit their new offices on O’Connell Street this evening. BDO is one of the largest accountancy firms in the world, employing 105+ people in Limerick and has a network of 1,200 associates in 45 offices in France. Very nice meeting Paul Marron, Speciality Business Manager at Limerick- based Grassland Agro, part of the French firm Groupe Roullier.
France in Mid-West Ireland 