2014 News & Events
December 2014
President Higgins Christmas and New Year Message 2014
22 December 2014
As President of Ireland, may I offer my warmest wishes for Christmas and the New Year to everyone in Ireland, and to all of our Irish abroad, those who assist them, and the communities that have welcomed them.
September 2014
25 September 2014
The Embassy participated in the Be International Fest, an international student festival focusing on foreign students in Prague, the first festival of its kind. The event took place on Střelecký Island in the city centre and was attended by about 2,000 students, both foreign and Czech.
Irish Theatrical Diaspora Conference
12 September 2014
Ambassador Kelly organised a reception for participants of the 11th Annual Irish Theatrical Diaspora conference on 12 September at the Residence. The conference, which focuses on Irish theatre in Central Europe, hosted experts such as translators, script editors and university teachers.
August 2014
Irish Musicians at Czerish Festival
27 August 2014
The Czerish Festival introduced Matthew Devereux and Shane Wearen of The Pale. The concert took place on Wednesday, 27 August on the well-known “Tajemství” boat, which anchors on the Vltava riverbank in the centre of Prague and hosts various cultural events every summer. The lively atmosphere of the concert was further enhanced by a couple of young Czech musicians, who joined Devereux and Wearen for a couple of songs.
May 2014
17 May 2014
Ambassador Kelly and Ladislav Müller of Enterprise Ireland attended the 10th anniversary celebration on 17 May of the establishment of a plant near Brno by Mergon, an Irish company based in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.
Visit of Economist Dan O’Brien
11-13 May 2014
Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, visited the Czech Republic in May 2014. He spoke at seminars in Prague and Ostrava, titled “Economic Dialogue: Europe After the Financial Crisis,“ organised by the Embassy and Enterprise Ireland.
April 2014
Seamus Heaney Commemoration
29 April 2014
On 29 April 2014, Ambassador Kelly hosted a bilingual reading of Seamus Heaney’s work in tribute to the poet. The event was introduced by Ondřej Pilný and Justin Quinn of the Centre for Irish Studies, Charles University, and a selection of Heaney’s recent work was translated for the occasion by Daniel Soukup, also of Charles University.
Tenth Anniversary of Czech Membership in European Union
28-30 April 2014
European Union, Czechia, and Slovakia: Common Security Future
Ambassador Kelly delivered opening remarks at a conference held on 28 April 2014 in the Czech Parliament commemorating the tenth anniversary of Czech and Slovak membership of the EU. There were 250 participants, including senior representation from the Government, Parliament, diplomatic and foreign policy community.
The Embassy also participated in the celebrations organised by the European Commission Office on an island in central Prague on 29/30 April and maintained an information booth, distributing information material on Ireland.
21 Days of European Film Festival
10-27 April 2014
The Days of European Film took place in Prague in the Světozor and Lucerna cinemas from 10 to 17 April, and in the Scala cinema in Brno from 18 to 22 April.
April 2013 - April 2014
The travelling exhibition Strangers to Citizens introduces the story of the Irish who left their country for continental Europe between 1600 and 1800.
March 2014
24-29 March 2014
This year saw the tenth anniversary of the Irish Cultural Festival in Ostrava. The event attracted over 6000 visitors and featured live music in Bernie’s Irish Pub and Baxters’ club on Stodolní Street, as well as Irish theatre (The Cripple of Inishmaan, Petr Bezruc Theatre, Ostrava), literature and film.
17 March 2014
The Embassy's St. Patrick's Day reception took place on 17 March, 2014 at the Residence of the Mayor of Prague, a beautiful Art Deco building in the very heart of Old Town Prague.
Prague and Ostrava Join Global Greening
14-18 March 2014
The Petřín Tower in Prague and the Ostrava City Hall joined Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative to mark St Patrick’s Day. Both landmarks turned green from Friday evening, 14 March until Tuesday morning, 18 March.
January 2014
Beckett Reading
January - May 2014
Production company “Studio hrdinů” in cooperation with the Embassy has produced a video installation featuring a reading of NOT I by Samuel Beckett.
The video installation was shown during special “lecturer days” in the Veletržní Palace, National Gallery, Prague between January and March and in the multi-functional Gong building in Ostrava on 19 May, 2014.