As she publishes a history of the Killiney address she has called home for the past three years, Australian ambassador’s wife Pippa McIntosh talks about the ‘breadcrumbs’ which helped her to discover more about the wild parties James Joyce attended, how her residence helped Harry Clarke’s career, and a local murder
Inside the Australian Ambassador’s residence
When Pippa McIntosh arrived in Ireland with her then-partner, now husband, Gary Gray — the incoming Australian ambassador to Ireland — she had no idea about the history-filled literary adventure she was about to embark on. “Our decision to relocate our lives to Ireland in 2020 from sunny Perth, Western Australia, was not your typical international career move,” she explains.
Coming from a career in public and government affairs in Australia, McIntosh was, she says, “contemplating how I would fill my days for the next four years. With no children of my own and a fulfilling career in public and government affairs in Australia, I couldn’t help but question the prospect of a life as an ‘ambassador’s handbag’.”