Ireland's relationship with Singapore
The Ireland-Singapore relationship is both deep and broad, and dates back centuries to when Singapore was still largely unknown to Europeans and Ireland similarly mysterious to those from Southeast Asia.
One early account of this relationship begins in the year 1796, when Irish botanist Christopher Smith began collecting plant specimens in Singapore. These specimens are today housed in the National History Museum of Ireland today, and represent the oldest known collections from Singapore in existence.
Diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of Singapore were established in 1974. Our growing connections saw the resident Irish Embassy open in Singapore in 2000, the second Irish Embassy in Southeast Asia.
Economic ties
Our two countries are of comparable size in terms of population, and our modern histories have followed a similar trajectory of remarkable economic growth and development. Singapore was one of the original four ‘Asian Tiger’ economies, while Ireland experienced its own ‘Celtic Tiger’ period of rapid economic growth around the turn of the millennium. As a result, there are strong people-to-people links in terms of intellectual exchange and mutual learning.
Ireland’s trade relationship with Singapore is growing steadily. Two-way trade in goods totals €1.7 billion annually, with the largest categories of exports to Singapore including medical and pharmaceutical products, computers and data processing machines. Ireland’s combined trade in services has developed significantly in the last five years, now totalling over €20 billion annually.
People to people connections
Around 5,000 Irish citizens and people with Irish connections call Singapore home, with a steady growth in younger-generation professionals working in the financial services, technology, healthcare and education sectors. Ireland has a smaller population of Singeporean nationals, but hosts many HQ offices of companies with Singaporean links.
The Irish community in Singapore works hard all year round to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two countries. The Irish Chamber of Commerce Singapore, The Ireland Funds Singapore, St Patrick’s Society and Comhaltas are active in providing forums for the community to gather, while the Singapore Gaelic Lions GAA Club is the largest GAA club in Southeast Asia.
Ireland House Singapore
Today, our close ties are symbolised physically by the presence of a brand new Ireland House, opened in 2024. The new premises is a showcase of Team Ireland in Singapore, bringing together Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, IDA and the Embassy under one roof, combining our efforts to deliver for Team Ireland and to further strengthen ties between our two nations.