Mr Guy Jones, the founder and
Chairman of the Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation, has played a leading role in celebrating the links between the two countries, through historical research, educational campaigns and charitable activities.
Is there a large Lebanese community in Ireland? What has been the general history and pattern of Lebanese immigration to Ireland?
Ireland was never on the world map as a destination for immigration, and it would have been most unlikely that it presented an attraction for immigrants at a time when the history of Ireland was more similar to that of Lebanon, and the Irish were themselves on the move aspiring for greener pastures. However, there were common threads that led a few to adventure and land on the Emerald Island. We reckon from our own research that the first Lebanese to have set foot here was in the company of Miss Louisa Proctor, who founded the schools of Choueifat in 1885. Rev. Tanios Saad visited Ireland in July 1911, at the time of the visit of King George V to Dublin. The first Lebanese immigration to Ireland on record goes back to 1939, as a result of the encounter with Irish Missionaries in Africa and the affluent Lebanese community. In Bo, in Sierra Leone, missionaries were aided by the Lebanese community to establish their schools and churches in the region. Their children who were the students in these schools were recommended and facilitated to pursue their Third Level education in Ireland. The children were followed in most cases by their parents. Families like Saab, Abboud, Akl, Zaidan, Yazbeck, Gemayel, and Couzi were among the first to arrive and settle. Many settled here after marrying an Irish partner who they met abroad in