Irish-Chilean relationship

The first Irish to arrive in the modern state of Chile may have been part of a military contingent called the Wild Geese. In the 1500s, among the Spaniards were soldiers of Irish descent during the conquest and colonization of Chile ^[1] . In 1763, the Irish nobleman Ambrosio O'Higgins arrived in Chile as a civil servant of the Spanish Empire . From 1788 to 1796, Ambrosio O'Higgins served as governor of Chile, and then served as Viceroy of Peru from 1796 to 1801 ^[2] . In 1778, his son Bernardo O'Higgins was born in Chillan and then became known as the leader of the struggle for the independence of Chile from Spain; From 1817 to 1823, he served as the High Director of Chile. Chilean officer of Irish descent Juan Makenna is also considered one of the leaders of the Chilean independence movement and became the founder of the Corps of Military Engineers of the Chilean Land Forces ^[3] .

Shortly after the end of the War of Independence of Ireland (1919-1921) from the UK , Dublin began to develop diplomatic relations with Latin America and in 1921 sent representatives of Frank Egan and later Patrick Little to Chile to raise funds from the Irish diaspora to restore the country ^{[4 ]} . From 1973 to 1990, there was a military dictatorship in Chile under the leadership of General Augusto Pinochet . During this time period, many Chilean citizens sought asylum in other countries, including Ireland, where about 120 citizens of that country applied for asylum ^[5] . In 1988, the future president of Ireland, Michael Higgins, arrived in Chile as an international observer for the referendum. ^[6] In 1990, Chilean civilian president Patricio Aylvin was elected, with Irish roots. Chile and Ireland established diplomatic relations in the early 1990s, and in 2002 Chile opened an embassy in Dublin ^[7] . About 120,000 Chilean citizens are of Irish descent. ^[1]

In 2015, the volume of trade between countries amounted to 252 million euros . Chile's exports to Ireland are 70% wine , followed by coffee, tea and grapes. Ireland's Chile Export: Cranes, Computers, Medicines, Industrial Oil and Alcohol ^[8] . In 2002, Chile and the European Union (which includes Ireland) concluded an Association Agreement , which included the creation of a free trade zone , which entered into force in February 2003 ^[9] .

• The interests of Ireland in Chile are represented by the embassy of the country in the Argentine city ​​of Buenos Aires ^[10] .
• Chile has an embassy in Dublin ^[11] .