First Ever Polish-Irish Festival in Louth 21st-29th March

The inaugural PolskaEire 2015, Ireland's first Polish-Irish national festival, kicks off on March 21st and runs for one week.

The first national Polish-Irish festival organised by Minister for New Communities, Culture and Equality, Aodhan O'Riordain, aims to celebrate the Polish community and culture in Ireland.

Supported by RTE, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), the Polish Embassy, the Irish-Polish Society and Dublin City Council, PolskaEire 2015 will host the following events in Louth:

-An 'Easter Crafts Workshop with Polska Szkola Dundalk', hosted by Louth County Libraries and Polska Szkola Dundalk, will begin on Saturday 21st March at 11am in Dundalk Library.

-A 'Workshop and Q&A session with members of Dundalk FC', hosted by Louth County Libraries' will take place on the 25th March at 4pm in Dundalk Library.

-A 'Polish Irish Storytelling' event, hosted by Louth County Libraries and Polska Szkola Drogheda, will take place on the 28th March at 10.30am in Drogheda Library.

I am glad that, as a local community, we are participating in the festival and it will be an opportunity to celebrate the strong Polish-Irish relationships which exist in our locality, and to focus on how we can strengthen them even further.

The latest figures show us that there are approximately 1,880 Polish people living in Louth, who make a valuable cultural contribution to our community. It is through cultural activities and events such as the UEFA qualifier and the PolskaEire events, which bring the Polish and Irish communities together.

I am delighted that there are three fantastic cultural events in Louth from literature to sport, to provide a space for Irish people and Polish people alike to come together, appreciate our cultural differences and similarities and get to know one another better.

I would like to encourage everyone in our community to join in the national celebration of PolskaEire and attend our community events. I would also like to thank the hard work done by Louth County Libraries, Polska Szkola Dundalk and Polska Szkola Drogheda in setting up the events.

More details about the national PolskaEire 2015 programme can be found at www.polskaeirefestival.com.