The Irish Cultural Centre in Paris held a Festival of Ideas last week to join in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the European Economic Community, the EU's predecessor, on January 1, 1973. The final day’s activities consisted of panel discussions and concerts celebrating all things Irish, from the language to traditional music and cuisine.
Located in Paris’s 5th arrondissement (district), the Irish Cultural Centre (ICC) was inaugurated in 2002 on the site of a former Roman Catholic educational establishment for Irish students that includes a small chapel. The names of the different dioceses across Ireland can also be seen when wandering through the open courtyard, which had rows of chairs set up in front of a stage for Saturday’s events.
