All of us who love French food and wine and le bon esprit and a bit of je ne sais quoi should be glad for Dominique Geary, who last week received the Ordre National du Mérite from the French ambassador, Yvon Roe d'Albert, at a reception hosted by he and his wife, Marie-Claude, at the ambassador's residence, on Ailesbury Road in Dublin, writes Patsey Murphy
Dominique Geary had already been made a Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, so this is an additional recognition of the spirited work she did over 30 years promoting all things French in this country. Whether she was manning a cardboard stall in a supermarket - and she would have met and merrily doled out samples to thousands of shoppers - or masterminding an extravaganza for buyers and consumers at Mansion House - or indeed, the Ploughing Championships - Dominique injected every promotional event with a sense of Gallic style and a spirit of fun. She came to Ireland as an au pair, then married an Irishman. Now, after years working for Sopexa, the French marketing board, she is president of the Society of French Residents of Ireland. She follows in the footsteps of her father, Marcel Aufort, who was also awarded the Ordre National du Mérite. No pressure, then, on her two children, David and Sarah.