List of ambassadors of Ireland to the United Kingdom
| Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms of Ireland | |
since August 2022 | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Inaugural holder | James McNeill First High Commissioner John Whelan Dulanty First Ambassador |
| Formation | 1923 High Commissioner 1949 Ambassador extraordinary |
| Website | Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain |
The Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain is Ireland's foremost diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom and is in charge of Ireland's diplomatic mission in the UK.
History
[edit]The High Commission of the Irish Free State was established shortly after Irish secession from the United Kingdom.[1] The first High Commissioner of the Irish Free State to the United Kingdom was James McNeill, who later became the second Governor-General of the state in 1928.[2] From 1936, the Irish government regarded the state as being no longer a member of the British Commonwealth, but rather a state associated with it.[3] Nonetheless, the office holder retained his title. In 1937, the Irish Free State was renamed Ireland so the High Commissioner’s title was changed to High Commissioner of Ireland to the United Kingdom. The officeholder retained that title until Ireland’s last links with the Commonwealth were terminated in 1949. The High Commissioner at the time then became the Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom. The Irish Foreign Ministry name their Embassy in London as the Embassy to Great Britain due to nationalist sensitivities concerning the full name "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".[4]
Heads of mission
[edit]High Commissioners
[edit]- James McNeill 1923–1928
- Prof. T. A. Smiddy 1929–1930
- John Whelan Dulanty 1930–1949
Ambassadors
[edit]- John Whelan Dulanty 1949–1950
- Frederick Henry Boland 1950–1956
- Con Cremin 1956–1958
- Hugh McCann 1958–1963
- Con Cremin 1963–1964
- Donal O'Sullivan 1970–1977
- Paul Keating 1977–1978
- Eamonn Kennedy 1978–1983[5]
- Noel Dorr 1983–1987
- Andrew O'Rourke 1987–1991
- Joseph Small 1991–1995
- Edward J. Barrington 1995–2001
- Dáithí O'Ceallaigh 2001–2007
- David J. Cooney 2007–2009
- Bobby McDonagh 2009–2013
- Daniel Mulhall 2013–2017
- Adrian O'Neill 2017–2022[6]
- Martin Fraser 2022–present
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Documents on Irish Foreign Policy: 1939–1941, Department of Foreign Affairs, Royal Irish Academy, 2008, page xix
- ^ The Embassy’s History, Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- ^ The captive dominion: imperial realities behind Irish diplomacy, 1922—49, Donal Lowry, Irish Historical Studies, Vol. 36, No. 142, Ireland and the British Empire-Commonwealth (November 2008), pp. 202-226
- ^ [https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/nX0MCP73vFLpZw5h1Chc0?domain=urldefense.com / Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- ^ Kennedy, Michael (October 2009). "Kennedy, Eamonn Lucas". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.004478.v1. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Ambassador O'Neill". Department of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
