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Please be advised that the Embassy of Ireland, South Africa website has moved and this page is no longer being updated. The Embassy website is now available at Ireland.ie/pretoria.

The Embassy’s History

The Embassy of Ireland in South Africa was established in 1994, following the country's transition to democracy. 

The Irish Government established an Embassy in South Africa in 1994. The Embassy is situated in Pretoria, the administrative capital, but it also maintains a small liaison office in Cape Town, the seat of parliament.

In the same year, the Government agreed to establish an Irish Aid country programme in South Africa. An Irish Aid office was established at the Embassy to manage the programme.

A full list of Irish Ambassadors to South Africa is set out below.

1994-1998 H.E. Eamon O Tuathail
1998-2002 H.E. Hugh Swift
2003-2006 H.E. Gerard Corr
2006-2010 H.E. Colin Wrafter
2010-2014 H.E. Brendan McMahon
2014-2019 H.E. Liam MacGabhann
2019-Current H.E. Fionnuala Gilsenan