Press release
Taoiseach to host special St Patrick’s Day Gala Concert in Kennedy Centre Washington DC
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will host an evening of music, song and spoken word in the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts Washington D.C., on St Patrick’s Night, Friday 17 March.
St Patrick’s Day 2023 marks a century of Ireland’s active membership of the international community, contributing to peace building and supporting democracy, human rights and justice across the globe.
On our own island, the Good Friday Agreement – the 25th anniversary of which occurs this year – is a seminal milestone in our history. Events will be hosted by Ireland's Embassies and Consulates around the world to mark this moment. The Gala Concert brings together artists from poetry, music, dance, song, and stage to celebrate the continuing contribution of the United States of America to peace and reconciliation in Ireland.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
“I am very pleased to attend this unique event honouring the vital role the United States continues to play in Ireland’s peace process. For many years, the US has been an honest broker and a trusted friend to all sides in Ireland. It is appropriate now, as we prepare to mark 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, and as we embrace and celebrate the hope and prosperity that peace and reconciliation has brought to our island, that we commemorate our enduring friendship.
“This evening’s event will explore the deep historical and cultural relationship between Ireland and the US. The arts have always played a unifying role both in international relations, and also in inter-community relations in Ireland. This shared heritage and culture, love of music, song, dance and literature continues to bring the people of Ireland together. Our cultural traditions endured, even during some of the darkest days of the Troubles and they continue to sustain us all as we work to rebuild the democratic institutions in the North.
“Cultural diplomacy is at the heart of our Global Ireland strategy which seeks to promote Ireland as a great place to live, visit, work, invest in, trade with, and study. I am in no doubt that this event will strengthen existing friendships, while also inspiring the forging of new ones.”
Introduced by the Taoiseach, the evening will contrast Ireland’s ancient sounds with our diverse contemporary culture, reflect on the Good Friday Agreement, recall Ireland’s relationship with America in song – finishing with a celebratory sequence of the traditional and the new.
The event has been curated by the National Concert Hall and the renowned musical director Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee. It will feature the work of three Ulster-born poets, Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley and Moya Cannon, musical performances from, among others, Martin Hayes, Rhiannon Giddens, Síle Denvir, SOAK, Tolü Makay, and James Vincent McMorrow, with spoken word contributions from Carrie Crowley, Jan Carson, and Paul Muldoon.
This Special Gala Evening, curated in partnership with the National Concert Hall, is part of a series of events organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Go to ireland.ie/goodfridayagreement for more.