As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, France begins to turn a little greener – and not just in its shop windows or pub façades. The ties between Ireland and France run deep, stretching back more than 1,500 years. Theirs is a relationship shaped by saints and scholars, soldiers and statesmen, music and migration – and, of course, the occasional excellent pint. It may look, on the surface, like an excuse for a lively night out. But behind the Guinness taps and green bunting lies a remarkably rich shared history.
Long before shamrocks became global symbols, Saint Patrick himself had French connections. Tradition holds that before returning to Ireland as a missionary, Patrick studied in Gaul, likely in Auxerre. Those early spiritual links were strengthened in the centuries that followed as Irish monks travelled to France, founding monasteries and contributing to the preservation of learning in medieval Europe. In many ways, the Franco-Irish story begins not with political alliances, but with pilgrimage.
Centuries later, the bond deepened through exile. After the 1691 Treaty of Limerick, thousands of Irish soldiers left their homeland for France in what became known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. They formed Irish brigades within the French army and fought with distinction for their adopted country.
As the Irish government itself reflects on their website, “the Ireland-France relationship evokes memories of our shared Norman, Huguenot and Celtic heritage, the Flight of the Wild Geese at the end of the 17th century and the spirit of the French Revolution a hundred years later which so captured the imagination of Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen”. Their loyalty to France never eroded their Irish identity; instead, it wove the two together.
One descendant of that tradition would rise to the very top of French public life. Patrice de MacMahon, born into a family of Irish Jacobite nobility, became a Marshal of France and later President of the Republic (1873–1879). An Irish name at the Élysée Palace is perhaps the most striking symbol of how thoroughly Irish heritage became part of the French story.
Culture, too, has long flowed between the two shores. Sharing a Celtic heritage binds Ireland especially to Brittany, the closest EU region to Ireland.
Brittany’s music, mythology, bagadoù pipe bands and ancient standing stones echo Ireland’s own traditions. Standing on the Breton coast, watching Atlantic waves roll in, it’s easy to imagine the centuries of travel and exchange across that narrow stretch of sea. More and more, Irish contemporary culture, from cinema and fashion to new music, continues to break through to French audiences, building on foundations laid by giants such as James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and Eileen Gray, whose imprint on France remains indelible.
Today, the beating heart of that cultural exchange is the Centre Culturel Irlandais, housed in the historic Irish College on Rue Irlandais in Paris’ Latin Quarter.
Far from being a once-a-year celebration, the Centre offers exhibitions, literary talks, live music nights, Irish language meet-ups and stand-up comedy. This March 13th, for example, the famed comedian Dylan Moran takes to the stage – showing you don’t have to cross the sea to experience Ireland at its most creative and irreverent! Around St. Patrick’s Day, its courtyard overflow with endless celebration.
Even in darker moments of history, Irish touches appear. In 1939, as war loomed over Europe, Guinness was supplied to British and Allied troops stationed in France. A pint of stout became more than a simple drink, it provided soldiers with comfort, familiarity and, I’m sure, boosted morale. Today, that same stout flows ever-so freely across France every March 17th – bars lined with rows of black-and-cream pints waiting to be claimed.
And then there are those pubs. Anyone who has lived in Paris knows the truth: a night in an Irish bar is a night of guaranteed fun. I remember evenings where the shelves were stacked high with Guinness glasses, the room humming with accents from Dublin to Donegal (and from Bordeaux to Belleville) and, just before closing time, one last request ringing out: “Zombie!” When The Cranberries blasted through the speakers and the entire bar sang along, it felt less like a Paris night out and more like something shared between all. Music spilling into the street, strangers becoming friends by closing time – these are small but powerful examples of connection.
Sport, too, tells its own story of rivalry and respect. France and Ireland’s rugby history dates back to 1909. Since then, the two nations have played 105 test matches: France leads the series with 61 wins to Ireland’s 37, with seven draws. Every Six Nations clash carries not just points but fierce competition underpinned by deep mutual regard.
St. Patrick’s Day in France is joyful. Pint glasses are raised, bagpipes play, and monuments glow green. But it is not simply an excuse for a night of drinking. It is a celebration layered with centuries of history – of wandering saints and exiled soldiers, of revolutionary ideals and literary brilliance, of Celtic kinship and sporting rivalry, of cultural centres and crowded pubs.
A relationship that began with pilgrimage, passed through regiments and presidencies, echoed in Breton bagpipes, roared across rugby pitches, and still resounds each time an Irish bar belts out one last song before the lights come up.
Sláinte – et vive l’amitié franco-irlandaise!
Lead photo credit : Giants Causeway, Ireland Photo: Shutterstock ©
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
