Documents on Irish Foreign Policy
Documents on Irish Foreign Policy (DIFP) is an essential public resource for the study of twentieth century Irish history.
DIFP aims to make the history of Irish foreign policy accessible to all and promotes public engagement with the history of Ireland’s international relations.
Since its establishment in 1997, DIFP has published eleven hard copy volumes covering discrete periods from 1919 to 1961. All have been published to schedule. Volume XII (1961–5) will be published in November 2020.
In a successful e-scholarship initiative, volumes I to VII (1919–45) are available free online at www.difp.ie. Further volumes will shortly be added.
The published volumes of documents are selected from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade collection at the National Archives, and also include relevant material from the archives of other government departments and the papers of relevant individuals.
The project continues as a very successful inter-institutional partnership between the Royal Irish Academy, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Archives.
Through its outreach programme, DIFP maintains strong connections with third level institutions across the island of Ireland through talks, lectures and seminars.
Internationally DIFP has a high profile within an established group of worldwide projects which edit and publish diplomatic documents.
DIFP in 2019 published ‘Ireland: A voice among the nations’ an illustrated photographic and documentary history of Irish foreign policy since 1919, marking the centenary of the foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In the past, we have completed side-projects on Ireland’s accession to the EEC, 60 years of Ireland’s membership of the UN and the history of Ireland’s diplomatic relations with Japan.
DIFP Historians are: Dr Michael Kennedy, Dr John Gibney and Dr Eoin Kinsella.
(T) @DIFP_RIA
(W) www.difp.ie
NAI, DFA/6/417/129/1, Telegram announcing Ireland’s admission to the UN on 14 December 1955.
