Abstract EN:

Narrative, analysis and chronological framework of Irish migration to France in the 17th century, located in its European context. Beginning with medieval and 16th century Franco-Irish relations, which shape some aspects of this migration, this study proposes three distinct periods: 1590-1633, 1634-1660, 1660-1685. It charts the movement of people, the political, social and religious factors behind the migration, and the arrival and settling or further movement of Irish exiles. Using primary and secondary sources from several jurisdictions, significant characteristics of the migration and presence of the Irish in France are studied. The early period is marked by mobility and the marginal status of most Irish. Significant military and clerical migration to France in the 1634-1660 period is accompanied by a small élite presence. In a context of temporary exile, signs of stability emerge. The Restoration in England sees not a general return to Ireland but a continued Irish presence in France, in the civilian, military and clerical spheres. By this stage several Irish clerical institutions had been set up in France. In spite of its continuity, the social character of this migration meant that naturalisations and privileges for the Irish were relatively rare before 1690. However, the Irish appear to have integrated successfully, locally in Western France, in the army and church. This migration was numerically significant but its importance has been understated. The issue of memory of this migration during the subsequent Jacobite exile is discussed, and the literary representation of the Irish in early modern France is studied