Departmental Correspondence

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Questions (110)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

110. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department has a record of correspondence with French authorities regarding the 1948 repatriation of the remains of William Butler Yeats from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to Ireland; whether her Department is aware of diplomatic correspondence released in 2015 raising doubts as to whether the remains repatriated were those of the poet; whether her Department has had contact with French authorities regarding the preservation or release of surviving records relating to this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54023/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

Contemporaneous correspondence relating to the death and reinternment of William Butler Yeats in the Department's files has been released, in line with the 1986 Archives Act, and is publicly available through the National Archives. Release of official French documents on this subject are a matter for the French state as per their own national legislation. However, we understand that French records concerning William Butler Yeats from 1948 were given to the National Archives in 2015.

While this specific issue has not been discussed with the French authorities, during the Taoiseach's recent visit to Paris he announced the launch of a new archival project between our two countries, “Journey to Europe: Archives of the Irish in France”. This project will identify material of significant Irish interest housed in French archives and, in collaboration with those archives, digitise this within the framework of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland. The records will be available through a dedicated digital portal for researchers and members of the public.