Ireland’s Foreign Relations in 2021

Abstract

This review examines Ireland’s foreign relations in 2021. As the Covid-19 pandemic continued to complicate economic recovery and the pace of the vaccine rollout caused frustration, 2021 saw Ireland’s relations with the UK in particular severely tested. Brexit and its aftermath was a significant challenge to Anglo-Irish relations and the administration of Boris Johnson proved a difficult partner in Ireland’s trilateral relationship between Dublin, London and Brussels. The inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as president of the United States came under the cloud of the January 6th violence at the Capitol, and what could have been seen as a return to normalcy instead highlighted how fragile democracy could be. The review outlines how Ireland navigated this difficult path in 2021, including its year as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). It also notes a number of significant deaths in the year, both in Ireland and abroad.