James Anthony Sharkey (born 1945, Derry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish historian and former diplomat.[1][2]
He was born and educated in Derry and worked as a teacher in Stepney, Derry and Dublin.[2]
Sharkey holds degrees in Russian and Russian history from University College Dublin and Birmingham University.[2] He is the author of works about folk history in Inishowen, Scots Gaelic, the Russian peasantry and Lafcadio Hearn.
In 1970 he joined the Irish diplomatic service. He served as Irish ambassador to a number of countries. The following list may be incomplete
- 1987–1989 Ambassador to Australia[3]
- 1989-1995 Ambassador to Japan[4]
- 1997–2001 Ambassador to Denmark with concurrent accreditation to Iceland and Norway[5]
- 2001–2003 Ambassador to Russia with concurrent accreditation to Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan[5][6]
- 2007–2009 Ambassador to Switzerland with concurrent accreditation to Liechtenstein and Algeria[2][7]
As Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, he chaired the Human Rights Committee and defended the leading role of the European Court of Human Rights.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Staff (April 2006). Council of Europe-activity Report 2005. Council of Europe. p. 20. ISBN 978-92-871-5942-7. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Senior diplomat to return to Donegal". Donegal Democrat. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ Bruce, David (9 June 1987). "Ambassador with an ear for rock and roll". The Age. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "List of the Participating Delegations of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). 1993. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Minister for Foreign Affairs announces new Ambassadorial Appointments". Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). 18 July 2001. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Minister for Foreign Affairs announces new Ambassadorial Appointments". Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland). 2 May 2003. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ White, Dermot (1 March 2008). "Meet James Sharkey: he is the Irish ambassador to Switzerland". Swiss News. Retrieved 5 December 2012.