Chile is a country with strong historical links to Ireland: its independence hero, Bernardo O’Higgins, had an Irish father. Nowadays, Chile is home to a small yet active Irish Community. There is a national Irish Association based in Santiago and an Irish Embassy in nearby Argentina.

Irish in Chile History

• O’Higgin’s Tours:
  • “The Irish in Chile” (English)
  • “Los Irlandeses en Chile” (Spanish)
• SILAS
  • Articles:
    • “Conquistadores, Soldiers and Entrepreneurs: Early Irish Presence in Chile”
    • “‘Foreigners of this Kind’: Chilean Refugees in Ireland,
      1973-1990”
    • “Irish Place Names and Landmarks in Chile”
    • “Mission in Pinochet’s Chile: A Memoir”
    • “The Ancestral Home of Chile’s Blest Family in Sligo, Ireland”
    • “The South American Irish”
  • Profiles
    • Bernardo O’Higgins
    • Ambrosio O’Higgins
    • Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
    • Clotario Blest
    • John McKenna
    • Patricio Lynch
    • William Blest Maybern

Irish in Chile News

2016

• Irish Times: “Ever think about a working holiday in Chile?”
• Irish Times: “Seven reasons to spend a year in Chile”
• Newstalk: “Travel between Ireland and Chile just became a lot easier”
• RTÉ: “President Higgins honoured for role in Chile”

2015

• Irish Times: “Earthquakes were part of the bargain when I moved to Chile”
• La Nación: St. Patrick’s Day Global Greening in Chile
• The Wild Geese: St. Patrick’s Day in Chile

2014

• Irish Examiner: “Emigration has cast a shadow over these Irish people’s Christmases”
• Irish Street League: Irish Team in Chile for Homeless World Cup

2013

• Kapuscinski Lectures: Michelle Bachelet Visits Ireland

2012

• The Irish Independent: Irish President Visits Chile