Patrimoine / heritage was the theme of the 12th annual Association of Franco-Irish Studies (AFIS) conference. The conference took place on the 19th & 20th of May 2017 in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. 44 speakers from Ireland, UK, France, USA addressed the theme and spoke on a diverse range of topics from literature to gastronomy, history, travel and culture. I chose to speak about the residence of the French Ambassador to Ireland on Dublin's Ailesbury Road.
The building was acquired by the French Government in 1930 for the new Legation and as the residence of the first French Minister to the Irish Free State, M. Charles Alphand. Contemporary newspaper reports say that 1.9 million French Francs or £12,400 was set aside by the French Government to purchase the property and renovate it.
In my paper, I briefly discussed the history of Franco-Irish diplomatic relations, but the main focus was on how the building was renovated to showcase the very best of French and Irish furniture and materials. It was intended to act both as a symbol of French patrimoine and prestige and also to highlight how the two countries could co-operate in the future.
Photograph of me delivering my paper at the conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment