The Embassy of France in Ireland has announced the creation of an honorary consul position in County Wexford. Wexford town is to be the location for a new honourary consulate of the French Government in Ireland.
The announcement was made yesterday afternoon by the French Ambassador to Ireland Vincent Guerend. The consular office is being established here due to increasing business between France and the south east through Rosslare Europort French businesses and an estimated 650 French citizens living in this region
Wexford County manager Tom Enright said this consular office can have far reaching benefits.
Since 1st January 2021, France has become Ireland’s closest EU neighbour, and a particularly fruitful partnership with the Wexford region and surroundings has been developing. Not only are there two well-established French companies (Danone and Servier), but also approximately 650 French citizens living in this part of Ireland and thousands of French tourists visiting this region each year thanks to frequent maritime connections (Port of Rosslare – Dunkirk, Le Havre, Cherbourg).
The work of this new honorary consular post will be to help in driving economic growth and furthering the development of bilateral relations. It will also highlight cultural relations between France and this part of Ireland through the dynamic Alliance Française branch already based in Wexford. The appointment of an Honoury Consul in Wexford is particularly timely in 2023, the 225th anniversary of the French landing in Co. Mayo, led by General Humbert on 22nd of August 1798. As we know, many of the important events of 1798 took place in Wexford. Several events across a range of sectors will take place during the year to celebrate the historical and cultural links between both countries.
The new French honorary consular post in Wexford will enhance the French profile in the South Eastern region of Ireland, a region historically, culturally and geographically close to France. The French honorary consul will be in a position to provide assistance to French people and save applicants from having to travel to the French embassy in Dublin for some administrative processes. The appointment will take place in 2023.
