Bobby McDonagh (born 29 June 1954) is a former Irish diplomat.

Biography

He was educated in

Gonzaga College Gonzaga College SJ is a voluntary Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1950, Gonzaga College is under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), one of five Jesuit secondary schools in Ir ...

, Dublin and graduated from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

, Oxford with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) (Greats/Classics). He was elected

President of the Oxford Union Past elected presidents of the Oxford Union are listed below, with their college and the year/term in which they served. ''Iterum'' indicates that a person was serving a second term as president (which is not possible under the current Union rule ...

in 1974. He entered the Irish diplomatic service in 1977. His father,

Bob McDonagh Bob McDonagh (23 March 1924 – 3 May 2015) was an Irish diplomat, two of whose sons, Philip McDonagh and Bobby McDonagh, also served in the Irish diplomatic service. Early life McDonagh was born in Tralee, but grew up in Sandycove, County ...

, and brother, Philip McDonagh, also served as ambassadors in the service. He is regarded as an expert on

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

affairs, having spent 23 years of his career either in the corridors of Brussels or in the EU division of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. This included periods in the Secretariat of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

, periods in the cabinets of two European Commissioners and a period (2005–2009) as the Irish Permanent Representative to the EU. He served as Director General of the EU division of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (2001–2005). He was

Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom The Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain is Ireland's foremost diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom and is in charge of Ireland's diplomatic mission in the UK. History The High Commission of the Irish Free State was established s ...

(2009–2013), which included the period of the visit of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

to Ireland. He served as Ambassador of Ireland to Italy (2013–2017) and retired in 2018.

Publications

* "Irish Friends and Friends of Ireland..." London Speeches 2009–2013, (IIEA 2014) * The IGC: How the Deal was Done-an account of the negotiation of the EU Constitutional Treaty (contained in ''The Genesis and Destiny of the European Constitution'', Bruylant 2007). * Original Sin in a Brave New World-the Paradox of Europe (IIEA 1997)

References

External links

Book Launch Speech
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonagh, Bobby Living people 1954 births Diplomats from Washington, D.C. People educated at Gonzaga College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Presidents of the Oxford Union Ambassadors of Ireland to Italy Ambassadors of Ireland to Malaysia Ambassadors of Ireland to the United Kingdom Permanent representatives of Ireland to the European Union 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people 21st-century diplomats Irish diplomats