Thank de Gaulle for our enduring bond with France

President bizarrely landed here 50 years ago

THIS month, 50 years ago president Charles de Gaulle, the epitome of France during the 20th century, abruptly resigned and fled to Ireland. He had never been here before, stayed for six weeks and left us with a lasting image of him and our president Éamon de Valera in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin, as Dev – almost blind – held on to the arm of the younger Frenchman as he guided him to the waiting photographers.

It was a remarkable reminder of the relationship between Ireland and France which for the past 50 years has waned but, with Brexit, is set to be rekindled.

We did not need the shock of the catastrophic fire in Notre Dame cathedral to remind us of the importance and place of France and all things French in our lives.

In his magisterial biography, A Certain Idea Of France: The

Life Of Charles de Gaulle, Julian Jackson speculates about why de Gaulle chose Ireland as his bolthole after he resigned.

He writes: ‘In complete secrecy on May 10, he and his wife flew to Ireland where he had never been before... Why Ireland? Perhaps there was an element of family curiosity since on his great grandmother’s side de Gaulle has Irish ancestry. Perhaps there was the attraction of visiting the historic enemy of Britain. But what de Gaulle sought above all was isolation and remoteness.’

De Gaulle headed to Kerry and stayed in the Heron’s Cove hotel near Sneem. He spent some time writing his memoirs and visited the birthplace of Daniel O’Connell – of whom his maternal grandmother had written a biography – and of

whom de Gaulle once wrote ‘this man was in himself an entire people.’

De Gaulle then decamped to Connemara, met de Valera and returned to France where he died suddenly just over a year later. It was a remarkable – if bizarre episode. It led to a tourist boom from France to Ireland and vice versa.

Soon direct shipping links were established between Ireland and France. Today, apart from the UK, the only direct shipping links from Ireland are to France – critical in a postBrexit world.

After 50 years of a close relationship with the UK, built of necessity around the Troubles – Anglo-Irish relations have never been at a lower ebb. The revelation of Brexit tariffs by the British government in March – Irish beef was to be hit with a 53% levy – shocked us to our core. It was seismic and a portend of things to come.

So in these uncertain times, let us redouble our efforts to forge closer relations with what will be our nearest EU neighbour. Vive la France!