Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is to attend a celebration of the culture and tradition of hurling to be held at Ireland's Embassy to France in Paris on Thursday 18 October 2018.
This event, hosted by Ambassador Dermot Nolan, Ireland's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, is planned to celebrate hurling and share its contribution to Irish culture at an international level. Hurling is currently under consideration for inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
With invited guests including Ambassadors to UNESCO, the event will include a speech from the Minister as well as presentations by the GAA, Camogie Association, academics, and All-Ireland hurling medal winner John Fenton highlighting the evolution and history of men's and women's hurling, the importance of the game to local communities in Ireland as well as its contribution to Irish cultural identity.
Speaking in advance of the event, Minister Madigan said:
Hurling means a great deal to us as a nation and plays a special role in our history and cultural identity. At a local level, clubs all around the country – such as my own local club, Kilmacud Crokes – are at the heart of their local communities through the work of players and volunteers. At a county and national level, the support of county teams and the wearing of county colours brings us all together, year after year and generation after generation. It is only right, therefore, that the great contribution of hurling to Irish culture and identity, and its long tradition, be celebrated and shared at an international level, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to support the GAA and the Camogie Association in doing so.
Joining Minister Madigan to highlight the event was President of the GAA, John Horan, who said:
Hurling is unique in that it is not only our national game, but is also a huge generator of identity and social capital. The fact that there are over 250,000 active players testifies to its inherent attraction and growing popularity at national level. The growth amongst indigenous communities, at international level, is a further manifestation of this and the increasing number of native-born Americans and Germans who are now playing the game is nothing short of remarkable. The Association welcomes the opportunity to spread the story of the game and very much appreciates the opportunity provided by Ambassador Dermot Nolan to do so.
During her time in Paris Minister Madigan will also visit Centre Culturel Irlandais, Ireland's flagship cultural centre in Europe. Centre Culturel Irlandais presents an annual programme of Irish arts with the support of Culture Ireland and also offers Irish artists residencies in Paris to develop their work. The Minister will meet artists currently in residence and engage in future planning as the space has a central role in the Government’s initiative Global Ireland 2025 to increase the impact of Ireland’s global footprint.