Ambassador of Ireland to France
Niall Burgess
Welcome message
Chères amies, chers amis,
On behalf of all of us at the Embassy of Ireland in France, welcome to ireland.ie.
We are deeply honoured to represent Ireland in France, our closest EU neighbour. Irish people are proud of the warm relationship between our countries, our deep history and our rich cultural connections. Every year around half a million Irish visitors will come to France - whether to study, take a holiday or do business. This year many will come especially for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the meantime, as many French visitors will come to Ireland. We want to work with you and support you in strengthening these links even further.
This is an exciting time for Franco-Irish relations. Our cultural connections are a source of great pride. From James Joyce to Eileen Gray and many more besides, Irish artists have made their home in France and culture is one of our nations’ many shared passions. Indeed, the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris is the foremost Irish Cultural Centre in the world, and the Alliance Française in Dublin is the third most frequented in all of Europe.
We share many commons values, including a deep commitment to equality, democracy and human rights. Our shared EU membership and our strong partnership in the UN allows us to work together closely on the issues that matter most to our citizens.
France is our most important gateway within the single market and one of our largest trading global partners and the growing exchanges between our two countries create significant opportunities for further growth.
The Embassy is located at number 12 Avenue Foch, the former Hôtel de Breteuil, which was acquired by the Irish Government seventy years ago, in 1954. The premises support of the work of Team Ireland in France and are a base for the large and diverse Irish community.
Though our Embassy building is in Paris, our footprint is everywhere across France, not least in Lyon where we recently opened a new Consulate General. We are actively supported by our Honorary Consulates in Roscoff, Cherbourg, Monaco and Toulouse in extending consular services to Irish citizens in France.
As well as being Ambassador to France, I am non-resident Ambassador to Monaco where the Princess Grace Irish Library is a flagship for Irish culture and for the story of this very special relationship. Our Honorary Consulate in Monaco provides consular and other services in the Principality.
I hope that you will find our website helpful. The Embassy is also active on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and of course we welcome your ideas on how best to make it work for you.
Sincères salutations,
Niall Burgess
Ambassador
Biography
Niall Burgess took up duty as Ambassador of Ireland to France and to Monaco in December 2021. Prior to assuming this role, he served as Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs from April 2014 to September 2021.
He was Director General of the Anglo Irish Division at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from August 2010 and Consul General of Ireland in New York from May 2007. Before this, he was Director with responsibility for political affairs at the Anglo Irish Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the period leading up to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive in May 2007.
He has served with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Chicago, New York, Geneva and in Brussels with the Council Secretariat of the European Union.
Ambassador Burgess was born in Dublin and trained initially as an archaeologist. He is married to Marie Morgan and they have two children.