
The Republic of Ireland exited the Commonwealth in 1949, having left the United Kingdom in 1922. In the 1920s and 1930s the then Irish Free State played a crucial role in the transformation of the Commonwealth into an association of free, democratic and sovereign states. After Ireland left, the Commonwealth continued to evolve. The 1949 London declaration ended the bar on Republics being members of the Commonwealth and dropped “British” from its title. By agreement of the member states the Queen remained Head of the Commonwealth, but only as the symbol of a free association of independent countries.
In the 1950s and 1960s Commonwealth membership served as a bridge to world affairs for many newly sovereign states in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Today the Commonwealth is an international organisation of 52 states committed to peace, democracy, human rights, racial equality, sustainable development, and the rule of law. No less than 31 of these states are Republics.
Examples of our Commonwealth relations
include the following

In 1994, President Nelson Mandela led South Africa back into the Commonwealth and his achievements were honoured in a recent interview by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Please click here for details. Further information on the Irish government’s new review on international priorities can be viewed by clicking here and the policy on the Irish diaspora can be found here.