Festival Interceltique de Lorient
Ireland was nation of honour at the 2023 Festival Interceltique Lorient.
The last time Ireland was in the spotlight was at the 2014 edition.
Celtic culture
The annual festival celebrates shared Celtic culture and this year welcomed close to one million attendees over ten days in early August.
Among the visitors was Ambassador Niall Burgess who met with local, national, and international stakeholders, including the French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak.
Twin towns
The links between Brittany and Ireland were highlighted more than ever during these ten days, in particular through the celebration of the twinning between the towns of Galway and Lorient.
The Irish Embassy in Paris, in collaboration with Tourism Ireland, maintained a constant presence in the Irish pavilion. This space in the heart of the festival showcased tourism opportunities in Ireland and displayed our cultural richness through food tastings, GAA demonstrations, music, and dance. It was also home to a mixed Breton/French translation of the A History of Ireland in 10 Words exhibition.
Irish artists
Over twenty Irish groups and artists performed during the festival, with Clannad, Altan, and Paddy Glackin among the headline acts. The festival also featured céilís, Carrickmacross lace-making workshops, and film screenings including Young Plato and An Cailín Ciúin.
Old Ireland in Colour exhibition
Thanks to France’s Honorary Consul Catherine Gagneux, the Old Ireland in Colour exhibition was displayed at a local gallery during the festival.
The exhibition brings Irish history to life through the colour restoration of photographs from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The authors, John Breslin and Sarah-Anne Buckley, were in Lorient for the opening of the exhibition.