Letter from Seán MacBride to Moshe Sharett (Tel Aviv)

Your Excellency,
I have the honour to thank you for your letter of 24th May¹ which Mr. Michael Comay of your Ministry was good enough to present to me on his arrival in Dublin. May I take this opportunity to say that I share your regret over the fact that circumstances prevented us meeting personally last December but I trust that a further opportunity will arise which will enable us to meet and discuss problems that are common to both our countries.

Ireland and Israel are both ancient nations and at the same time new States that have achieved freedom after a long and hard struggle. In the case of Ireland, that freedom is still imperfect for six of our counties are still under British occupation and, to that extent our efforts towards international co-operation have been impeded. None the less, maimed as our country is, we have striven to our utmost to help on this great work and will continue to do so.

Just as the people of Israel, in their efforts to achieve national independence has always felt a profound sympathy with the parallel struggle of the Irish nation, so too the memory of the earliest tribulations of Israel was amongst those that fortified the people of Ireland during the past centuries. In the new era that is dawning for our two nations, I am confident that the same bonds of sympathy and friendship will be manifested in the fostering of a close and harmonious relationship between our two countries.

May I take this opportunity of saying how much we appreciated your sending Mr. Comay to visit us. His stay in Ireland received widespread and sympathetic publicity in our national press and his visit has contributed in no small way towards the cementing of the ties between Ireland and Israel.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurance of my highest consideration.