James Anthony Sharkey (born 1945, Derry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish historian and diplomat.[1]
He was born and educated in Derry City and worked as a teacher in Stepney, Derry and Dublin.
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 (among other countries) Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Scandinavia,and Russia/CIS.
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.