You need not be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or love the Irish. What began as a religious observance centuries ago has since evolved into festivities worldwide with parades, music, dancing, people dressed in green and wearing shamrocks. The Honorable Caoimhe Ní Chonchúir recently took up her post as Consulate General of Ireland for the Southeast United States, based here in Atlanta. She joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to introduce herself to our listeners and share how she’ll join us in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
Interview highlights:
A full slate of celebratory events in Georgia:
“In Atlanta, a lot of the St Patrick’s Day events are concentrated around the weekend preceding St. Patrick’s Day. So the parade, for instance, took place on the 12th. But on St. Patrick’s Day itself, the 17th, the Fernbank Museum will show an IMAX giant screen movie called ‘Ireland’ narrated by the great Liam Neeson. I know people here are Liam Neeson fans. And that’s a film that takes viewers on a tour of Ireland’s landscapes, our culture; and tickets are free, and they’re available on the Fernbank website,” said Ní Chonchúir.
“On the 23rd, a very well-known traditional Irish band called Lúnasa will be live in concert in Roswell. And of course … I can’t neglect to mention the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the biggest in the world. In fact, it’s the second-largest in the US. It’s an enormous parade of great color and excitement. I’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah with Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, who is paying a three-stop visit to Georgia for the St Patrick’s Day period, to call to Rome, to Atlanta, and to Savannah.”
Expanding our understanding of what it means to be Irish:
“Something like heritage, it’s not frozen in time. And it’s important, I think, to always reflect on heritage in a way that takes account of a variety of experiences, a variety of voices, and really interrogates what it means to be Irish. So here in the Consulate … we’ve been really cognizant to speak to the plurality of the Irish experience, the diversity of the Irish experience,” Ní Chonchúir said. “For instance, we’ve been working very closely with an organization called African-American Irish Diaspora Network, an amazing organization which is digging into the roots of African-Americans with Irish heritage; a little-known story, but a story that deserves to be highlighted.”
A possible tweak on the annual “greening” of City Hall:
“This year, I have to say … we’re approaching the ‘greening’ in a somewhat more somber mood, because back home in Ireland, we’re all desperately saddened and outraged by what’s happening in Ukraine, and I think our instinct is to reach out and to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to really throw open our arms to them,” said Ní Chonchúir. “So right now, we’re actually reflecting on whether instead of ‘greening,’ we might turn those monuments blue and yellow in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
She went on, “So watch this space. I’m incredibly grateful to City Hall for agreeing to ‘green’ that beautiful building again this year. But like I say, we’re just reflecting on whether it might be nice instead to show that support to Ukraine.”
Tickets and information on Lúnasa’s performance at Gaslight Grill in Roswell on March 23, are available here. Discover Atlanta provides information on other local events on and around St. Patrick’s Day here.
There is also a new documentary film called “Ireland“, narrated by Liam Neeson, that will be screened at the Fernbank Museum Atlanta on March 17.
