On Bastille Day, a visit to the French ambassador’s home
ENNISCORTHY and Wexford were well represented on Thursday last at the annual Bastille Day celebrations at the residence of the French Ambassador to Ireland Jean Pierre Thebault and his lovely wife Aurore. TD James Browne, chairman of Wexford County Council Paddy Kavanagh, director of services at Wexford County Council John Carley and members of Enniscorthy Historical Re-enactment Society were all part of the 1,100-strong invited guests to the impressive Ailesbury Road residence for the celebratory July 14 garden party.
53 Ailesbury Road was beautifully bedecked in red, white and blue with a semicircle of food and drink pavilions scattered on the perfectly manicured lawn with Jean Pierre and Aurore to the right of the spectacular rose garden welcoming each and everyone of their 1100 guests and inviting them to partake of a glass of champagne on arrival as re-enactors from Enniscorthy, Mayo, Monasterevin and France formed a guard of honour.
When welcoming his guests the French Ambassador had a very special mention for the re-enactors who represented the Wexford and Mayo Pikemen of 1798, the French under General Humbert, 1916 Irish Volunteers and WW1 soldiers, saying that they depicted the common bond Ireland and France have to Revolution, Republic and freedom.
It is imperative at this time for our two nations to stand together and continue to establish and nurture a strong trade relationship in the aftermath of Brexit and to stand against terrorism, which, he said, is ‘an attack on freedom, an attack on all of us, on our way of living, on free choice’. He said: ‘International solidarity will ensure that terrorists are defeated’.
Jean Pierre announced that the French President Francois Hollande would be visiting Ireland on July 21 to discuss the impact of Brexit on our two countries and while he is here a special monument will be dedicated by France to the Irish people to recognise the unique bond between us.
He then called for the Les Marseilles and Amhran na bFhiann and asked the re-enactors to let off a volley of shots to declare the garden party officially open.
Among the guests mixing, mingling sipping champagne and sampling the many delicious edible delights were former taoiseach Alan Dukes, former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and current Minister of Health Simon Harris, along with US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley and two D Day veterans, Henry Place and Rev Robert Marsden.
The beautiful celebration was marred later by the dreadful news of the Nice attack making the ambassadors message of solidarity in the face of terrorism all the more real.