the diaspora – mainly in Australia, Britain, and in later years Saudi and UAE. Families like Saba, Abi Saab, Farah, Saliba, Horshi. But education in Ireland remained the main attraction. Many who studied in Ireland remained here leading successful lives and careers. The community is estimated to be around two thousand, scattered around Irish towns and cities.
Kells: a flabellum held by the angels in one of the illustrations is found specifically in the Maronite rite of around the 7th and 8th Century. The evidence is compelling and makes the link between the Sacred Island of Iona to Ireland and to the Maronites in Lebanon. The knights of the First Crusade took possession of dominions and lands in Ireland, and brought with them a good part of Levantine traditions. Irish Franciscans and their close ties with Fakhreddine make all the historical links between these two countries most intricate. Bishop Richard Pococke (who travelled to Lebanon in 1738), RMS Titanic (many of the passengers were Lebanese), the UN observation mission in 1958, the long-lasting Irish contribution to the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, ongoing since 1978, Khalil Gibran and the Irish poet W.B. Yeats – are all part of the history that links the two countries.
What are some of the important historical and cultural links between Ireland and Lebanon?
Could you tell us about your own story of migration, and how long you have been settled in Ireland?
Formerly it was believed that there were none. But in the course of our research wonderful links unravelled. In ancient times Phoenicians found their way to Britain and Ireland as a source of tin. They left an imprint on the Gaelic language, written and spoken, and on the myth and culture of the Irish, that remains celebrated today at the hill of Tara and Ushnagh in County Westmeath. The Celtic God Bel or Baal is celebrated according to a Phoenician tradition, with a bonfire on the First of May. Another enigmatic link is present in the Book of Did you experience any difficulties when you first arrived in Ireland? Eleven years after living in UAE my wife, who is a native of Tipperary, and I decided to move to Ireland. And that?s fifteen years ago. I took warmly to the Irish way of life and was completely taken by their hospitality.