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The Dublin Alliance Française is
the third largest in Europe,
after Paris and Brussels, and
enrols over 5,000 students each
year.
The
Alliance offers a very varied
mix of courses : general
French classes for adults,
teenagers, children and
toddlers; specialised classes
(business, law, tourism,
literature, translation,
civilisation, cinema etc. );
in-company courses; classes in
primary schools and, of course,
private tuition. It is also an
examination centre offering
internationally recognised
qualifications. You will find
all the information in the
Language Centre
section.
The
aim of the Alliance Française in
Dublin is to promote French
culture and it is also a
place for intercultural
exchanges between Irish culture
and the cultures of the
French-speaking world. The
Alliance Française regularly
organises exhibitions, concerts,
conferences, screenings, book
launches, festivals and
more. You will find all the
information in the
Cultural Centre
section.
The
Alliance Française in Dublin
offers the services of a
French Médiathèque
(Multimedia Library), the
largest of its kind in Ireland,
with novels, periodicals, CDs
and DVDs. More details in the
Médiathèque
section.
The
Alliance Française in Dublin is
also home to the
Délégation Générale de l’Alliance
Française en Irlande
(Alliance Française Irish
Network). The organisation is
particularly active in Ireland,
supported as it is by a network
of committees based in
Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick,
Waterford and Wexford. More
information in the
Network
section.
The
Alliance Française is
non-profit organisation and
is registered as an Irish
Charity. You can support our
action and become a member! More
information in the
Membership
section.
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The longstanding friendship
between France and Ireland is
based in no small measure on the
Irish love of the French
language and culture.
An
Alliance Française committee
was already in existence in
1912 and was part of the
Fédération des Comités de
l’Alliance Française dans les
Iles Britanniques, which was
created in 1907.
After independence, in 1922,
the Dublin French Society
was founded by the French
consul. While the majority of
French Clubs outside France
limited themselves to small
cultural events, the Dublin
Centre had teaching as its
key activity immediately
after the war. French classes
for adults were held in the
premises at 18 Herbert Street,
then called, the Centre
Culturel Français
In
1960, the centre
officially became the Alliance
Française in Dublin with the
arrival of a Délégué Général,
seconded by the French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Due
to the growth of its activities,
the Alliance Française moved to
1 Kildare Street (the
former Kildare Street Lords
Club), right in the heart of
Dublin.
The address is one of the most
prestigious and famous in
Dublin. The new head office of
the Dublin Alliance was
inaugurated on the 15
November 1974 by, the then
Prime Minister, Mr Jacques
Chirac.
In
1986, a subsidy from the
French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs enabled the Dublin
committee to purchase the
building. The Alliance Française
hosts since the
Cultural Service of the
French Embassy on
its top floor.
Between 2002 and 2006
the Alliance Française in Dublin
executed extensive renovation
and refurbishment works, of both
the exterior and interior of the
building, with cutting-edge
techniques used for the first
time in Ireland to preserve this
listed
Irish Heritage site.
The Alliance Française in Dublin
celebrated its 50th
anniversary in 2010. |
