The first Erasmus couple, Pascal from France and Siobhán from Ireland, met in Sligo in 1987, the very first year of the Erasmus Programme. Their children went on to be known across European media as the first Erasmus babies. Today the programme is called Erasmus+, the EU Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the 2021-2027 period. This is their story.
Last updated: November 2026.
How did the story of the first Erasmus couple begin?
It was 1987. The Erasmus Programme had just launched. A French student named Pascal arrived in Sligo, Ireland, and had no idea his life was about to change forever.
In 1987, the Erasmus Programme launched for the very first time. Only 3200 students from 11 countries took part in that inaugural year, a number that seems impossibly small compared to the 15+ million participants the programme has supported since. One of those 3200 was a young French student named Pascal. He arrived in Sligo, on the west coast of Ireland, excited to improve his English, experience a new culture, and make the most of a year abroad. He had no idea that the Erasmus exchange would give him something far more meaningful than academic credits.
It would give him love, and in doing so, would make him and his partner the most famous couple in the history of European education.
What Was the Erasmus Programme in 1987, and Why Did It Only Have 3,200 Students?
The Erasmus Programme, which today operates under the name Erasmus+, was officially launched by the European Commission on 15 June 1987. Its original purpose was to allow university students from member states of the European Community to study abroad at a partner institution for a period, receiving academic credits that would count towards their degree at home.
1987: First year of the Erasmus Programme
3200: Students in the very first cohort
11: Countries participating at launch
The name "Erasmus" is both an acronym, European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, and a reference to the Dutch philosopher and humanist Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, who himself lived and studied across different European countries in the 15th and 16th centuries.
How far it has come: From 3200 students in 11 countries in 1987, the programme grew to support over 15 million participants across its history. Today, as Erasmus+, it covers not just university students but also youth exchanges, vocational training, school education, and volunteering through the European Solidarity Corps.
How Pascal and Siobhán Met: The Story of the First Erasmus Couple
Pascal arrived in Sligo, a coastal town in the west of Ireland, at the start of the 1987 academic year. It was his first time living outside France, his first real immersion in English, and his first extended experience of a culture substantially different from his own. He was one of the 3200 who took that leap in the very first year.
During his first week, he met an Irish student named Siobhán. Her warmth. Her laugh. Her presence. Something clicked, not dramatically, not with any fanfare, but with the quiet certainty that sometimes announces the most important things.
What began as a classroom acquaintance became study walks along the Irish coastline, long conversations that stretched past any reasonable hour, and a shared daily life that neither of them had planned for. Slowly, and without either of them quite noticing when it became inevitable, something beautiful was growing between them.
"Erasmus brought us together. We just continued the journey." (Pascal, first Erasmus couple)
Long-Distance Love Before the Age of Smartphones: How One Erasmus Year Turned Into a Lifetime
When Pascal's Erasmus year ended, he returned to France. This was 1988. There were no smartphones, no WhatsApp, no cheap Ryanair flights to keep cross-border relationships alive with the ease we take for granted today. Long-distance love in the late 1980s meant handwritten letters, expensive international phone calls, and long stretches of silence between visits.
But love found a way. Pascal and Siobhán kept their connection alive across the distance. They travelled back and forth, navigating the logistics of international romance before any of the tools that make it easy today existed.
1987: Pascal arrives in Sligo as part of the first-ever Erasmus cohort. Meets Siobhán during his first week.
1988: Erasmus year ends. Pascal returns to France. The couple maintains a long-distance relationship across borders, without smartphones, WhatsApp, or cheap flights.
Later: Pascal returns to Ireland, not as a student, but as a partner ready to build a life. He and Siobhán settle in Sligo.
Today: Pascal and Siobhán still live in Sligo. They run a business together and continue to share their story, the story of the first Erasmus couple.
What Is an Erasmus Baby? The Story Behind the First Erasmus Babies
The term "Erasmus baby" refers to a child born to parents who met through the Erasmus Programme. It has become a popular and affectionate way to describe one of the more unexpected outcomes of European academic mobility, the fact that, when you put young people from different countries together in a new environment for months at a time, some of them fall in love and start families.
Pascal and Siobhán's children are widely referred to across European media as the first Erasmus babies. This distinction, being the children of the couple who met in the very first cohort of the very first year of the programme, has made their family a recurring reference point in coverage of Erasmus's legacy.
The European Commission has estimated that around 1 million Erasmus babies have been born to parents who met through the programme. That figure, genuinely, 1 million people who might not exist without a mobility grant, is perhaps the most quietly remarkable statistic in the history of European higher education policy.
Why the First Erasmus Love Story Still Matters
Pascal and Siobhán's story is often told as a romantic anecdote, a charming footnote to the history of European integration. And it is that. But it's also something more.
Their story is evidence of what happens when you create the conditions for people from different countries to actually live alongside each other, not just visit, not just exchange pleasantries at a conference, but share daily life for an extended period. Study together. Walk the same coastline. Talk long past midnight.
That kind of proximity changes things. It changes how you see the person in front of you, and how you understand the country they come from. Sometimes it changes your whole life. Erasmus was designed to integrate Europe through education. In doing so, it also integrated people, individual people, with their own specific love stories, families, and futures.
Erasmus isn't only about education. It's about people. Moments. Chance encounters. And sometimes, love that lasts a lifetime.
Erasmus+ Today: From 3,200 Students to 15 Million Participants
The programme that began with 3200 students in 11 countries has grown into one of the largest educational mobility programmes in the world.
Want to know what Erasmus+ covers today? Read our guide on what Erasmus+ covers.
Frequently Asked Questions About the First Erasmus Couple and Erasmus Babies
Who was the first Erasmus couple?
The first Erasmus couple is widely reported to be Pascal, a French student, and Siobhán, an Irish student he met in Sligo during the very first year of the Erasmus Programme in 1987. They went on to build a life together in Ireland, where they still live today.
What year did the Erasmus Programme start?
The Erasmus Programme officially launched in 1987. In its very first year, 3200 students from 11 countries participated. Today it has supported over 15 million participants across Europe and beyond.
What is an Erasmus baby?
An Erasmus baby is a child born to parents who met through the Erasmus Programme. Pascal and Siobhán's children are commonly referred to in European media as the first Erasmus babies. The European Commission has estimated that around 1 million Erasmus babies have been born since the programme began.
How many people have done Erasmus?
Since its launch in 1987, the Erasmus Programme, now called Erasmus+, has supported over 15 million participants from across Europe and beyond.
Can I still join Erasmus+ if I'm not a university student?
Yes. Erasmus+ covers far more than university study. Youth exchanges, ESC volunteering, training courses, and vocational education are all part of the programme. Youth exchanges are open to young people aged 13-30, and ESC volunteering is open to ages 18-30, regardless of educational background.
The world is big. But the right people always find each other. ❤️
The European Commission estimates that around one million babies are likely to have been born to Erasmus couples since 1987; our guide on Erasmus babies explains where the figure comes from. Erasmus+ is not only for university students: a Youth Exchange is open to young people aged between 13 and 30, and European Solidarity Corps volunteers must have reached 18 and must not be older than 30 at the start date of the activity. Our guide on making local friends on an Erasmus+ project covers the friendships these projects bring.
More stories from the Youth Works Hub community: Silvia's Erasmus+ and ESC story · Serena's Erasmus+ and DiscoverEU story · what 1266 ESC volunteers taught a coordinator
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
