Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that he had a "very comprehensive" meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Élysée Palace in Paris.
The two leaders met as part of preparations for Ireland to take up the presidency of the EU Council from July.
They discussed the EU presidency and the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Israel's behaviour towards detained flotilla activists.
Mr Martin said that they also discussed Ireland and France's bilateral relationship: €45 billion in trading links, cultural ties, a second interconnector to be completed by 2028, and work with France's Department of Defence to procure radar and sonar.
At the end of the meeting, which continued for around two hours, the Taoiseach said he was shown "very moving" handwritten letters from Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone to the French state.
"Fascinatingly, at the end of the lunch he showed me records from the French military archives in Vincennes to do with Wolfe Tone," Mr Martin said.
"These are letters from Wolfe Tone, handwritten letters from Wolfe Tone prior to his death, pleading with the French authorities as a French soldier to look after his wife and family. Very poignant, very moving.
"We will now digitise those archives, and I think that would be a very significant venture of great new use for Irish researchers."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron
For six months from July, Ireland will take responsibility for planning and chairing EU Council meetings and negotiations, and representing the council in discussions with the European Parliament and European Commission.
The EU Council is the group of heads of state and ministers from the 27 EU countries' governments.
There will be approximately 30,000 delegates coming to Ireland over the six-month period, with meetings taking place over four-and-a-half months when the breaks over August and the Christmas period are excluded.
Departmental officials are also finalising Ireland's policy priorities, which are to be published next month.
"On the presidency, I think there's broad agreement in terms of the competitiveness agenda and the road map that has been laid out by the commission, the parliament, and the council, particularly around the capital markets union and the saving and investment union, the 28th regime in terms of the establishment of small- to medium-sized companies across Europe in a much more quicker timeline, the Industrial Accelerator Act," Mr Martin said.
"So we had a very detailed discussion on all of those.
"We then moved on to the budget. How might that land - it's an objective to complete the budget negotiations by the end of the year?
"So we, taking on the presidency, are endeavouring to try and ascertain the various position of governments, and the French government is obviously a key government in terms of the ultimate shape of that budget, and whether we can get agreement by the end of the year or not.
"So it was very useful from that point of view to hear the French perspective.
"So, overall I think a very fruitful and productive meeting."
While in Paris, Mr Martin will visit the Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) , where he will announce the launch of a new archival project to improve access to historic documents related to Ireland in French archives.
With the Paris branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, the Taoiseach will present a copy of the first English-Irish dictionary, An Focloir Bearla-Gaoidheilge, or Begly's Dictionary, which was first published in Paris in 1732, to the CCI.
He will also deliver the keynote address at the conference, Tearmann thar Toinn: The Irish Language in Europe.
The Taoiseach said: "Bilateral relations between France and Ireland are excellent at all levels - political, economic, cultural and people-to-people - underpinned by our historical friendship and shared EU membership.
"While in Paris, I am also looking forward to marking the deep cultural ties and shared heritage with France through a number of events at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, the home of Irish culture in France.
"I will launch the Journey to Europe: Archives of the Irish in France project, which will identify and digitise material of significant Irish interest housed in French archives."
This project, he said, "will improve our understanding of our deep historical relationship".
"In my keynote address, I will also reflect on the Irish language in Europe, both past and present, as we continue to promote our native language as a vibrant part of our cultural identity," he added.
