Ireland's Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (BVOF) wooed a special audience in the Principality of Monaco with a recital ‘Joyce in music’ on the evening of 16th December 2022.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and guests enjoyed a superb fusion of spoken word and music, honouring James Joyce’s literary legacy and passion for music, performed by some of Ireland's brightest and most outstanding young musicians from the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

The event in Monaco was made possible with the generous support of Stonehage Fleming and Culture Ireland.

Fáilte - welcome

To a hidden treasure on the Rock near the palace and one of the Principality’s cultural gems.

The Princess Grace Irish Library was inaugurated on 20th November 1984 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco as a tribute to his wife Princess Grace and the attachment she felt for her Irish origins. It is home to Princess Grace's personal collection of Irish books and Irish-American sheet music, as well as beautiful reference books and items of historical value, photos and art works. 

The Library has English-language books by Irish authors to borrow and we regularly organise cultural events. It is under the ægis of the Fondation Princesse Grace and is situated in the former hôtel particulier of Comte Félix Gastaldi (1821-1906), Mayor of Monaco for 39 years.

More information and watch the video HERE.

We are located at:

9 rue Princesse Marie-de-Lorraine,

Principality of Monaco, MC 98000

Phone : +377 93 50 12 25

Open Monday to Friday.

The President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina welcome H.S.H. Prince Albert II to the Áras an Uachtaráin during his visit to Ireland in September 2021.

For more information on the visit HERE 

To get a glimpse inside the official residence of the President of Ireland and see photos and videos of work undertaken by the President click HERE 

Their Serene Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Monaco visited Ireland on a state visit in 1961, meeting the President of Ireland Eamon de Valera and other dignitaries.

It was during this visit that they were welcomed by the village of Drimurla in County Mayo (west coast) - where Princess Grace's grandfather John Kelly was born in 1847 during the Great Famine in a two-roomed cottage, overlooking the Leg of Mutton lake. John Kelly emigrated to the United States and founded what was to become one of Philadelphia's leading construction companies.

This visit instilled a desire in Princess Grace to further her knowledge of Ireland and its culture, prompting her to start collecting Irish books and music sheets.