Europe Day 2023

On 9 May, the European Union will celebrate Europe Day 2023, a moment to commemorate the Schuman Declaration on 9 May 1950. To mark the special occasion, the EU institutions, including EU delegations and representations worldwide, are organising a wide range of online and on-site activities, providing citizens with the opportunity to discover and experience the European Union.

See below for details of some of the events taking place around Ireland to mark Europe Day 2023 and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ireland's EU membership.

Europe Day events taking place around Ireland

Date	Venue	Event description
Sunday 7 May 3-5 pm	Sligo, The Community Garden	'The EU through food' - family event in the Community Garden Sligo, with food samples from different EU countries, face painting, pizza and barbecue demo. Organised by Sligo Europe Direct in partnership with Cranmore Community Co-Op.
Monday 8 to Friday 12 May	Dublin	Dublin’s Samuel Beckett Bridge will be illuminated in blue and yellow EU colours: an ideal location for night-time photographs and selfies to celebrate the EU!
Tuesday 9 May	Dublin	Commissioner Mairead McGuinness will give a special Europe Day address to Seanad Éireann. Watch live here.
Tuesday 9 May		50 Years at the Heart of Europe - the European Commission Representation in Ireland will launch its new documentary which explores the impact of EU membership on Ireland. Watch the full video here.
Tuesday 9 May	Dublin 2 National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace	EU50 Gala concert - Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will be performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, a specially formed choir and Irish and European soloists, conducted by David Brophy. The Tainaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence  Micheal Martin will make the opening remarks. The concert will also be livestreamed on government media channels. Watch back here.
Tuesday 9 May	Dublin 2, Mansion House	Europe Day 2023 Conference - the Lord Mayor of Dublin City, Caroline Conroy, will host a Europe Day Conference in the Mansion House to showcase a commemoration of the European impact on Dublin city over the 50 years of Ireland’s membership of the European Union. Register here to attend this free hybrid event.
Tuesday 9 May	Letterkenny Mount Errigal Hotel	Europe Day Conference on the key future priorities of the EU - this event will look at the role that the European Union plays in our daily lives at a local and regional level. MC for the day will be Brendan Mooney, European Programmes Manager from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Speakers include: Stephen Kinsella, Professor of Economics at the University of Limerick; Olivia Jones of Clean Coasts; and Professor John Sweeney, Maynooth University. The conference will also include an acapella performance from the New Land Choir performed by people from all over Europe as well as interventions from MEPs Chris MacManus and Colm Markey. Register here for this free event.
Tuesday 9 May	Clones Europe Direct Centre Clones Library	One Europe Day – Culture Land Event - Clones Europe Direct Centre is holding a One Europe Day event with Arts Ekta where 150 people will explore the culture and lifestyles of a number of European Countries.  Participants will participate in short introductory arts and cultural workshops with artists and cultural facilitators from Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Greece and the Ukraine.  They will get the opportunity to create some art pieces to learn about the countries where the artists were born, practice folk dances and enjoy a music performance with traditional music from a number of European Countries. This event is aimed at schools with an open session aimed at adults particularly the migrant communities in the area.
Tuesday 9 May	Clones Europe Direct Centre Clones Library	'Into Europe' exhibition - celebrating Ireland’s 50 years in the European Union. The exhibition consists of 12 thematic panels in Irish and English which focus on various aspects of Ireland’s transformative relationship with the European Union. Into Europe" is a Royal Irish Academy exhibition commissioned by EU50 and the Department of Foreign Affairs and was curated by the historian and author Miriam Nyhan Grey.
Tuesday 9 May	Clones Europe Direct Centre Clones Library	Europe Day Quiz - Clones Europe Direct Centre is organising a Europe Day Quiz for primary schools in the region. In addition, they will distribute Europe Day Craft Boxes full of crafts, recipes, literature and factsheets about Europe and its citizens to libraries in the region.
Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 May	Alliance Française, Dublin	'Short Shorts from Europe' - the EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Ireland Network is presenting a free screening at Alliance Française, Dublin of its 2022 Short Shorts from Europe programme. This includes a selection of European short films from 10 member countries of EUNIC Ireland: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. Cork International Film Festival and TUS Limerick School of Art and Design will also present short films from Ireland. This event is organised in association with Cork International Film Festival, Light House Cinema Dublin, Pálás Cinema Galway, TUS Limerick School of Art and Design and Richard Harris International Film Festival. The selection of shorts is also available for free streaming from 9 to 12 May 2023. More information is available here.
Sunday 9 to Tuesday 30 May	Ballinasloe Europe Direct Centre Ballinasloe Library	'Into Europe' exhibition - celebrating Ireland’s 50 years in the European Union. The exhibition consists of 12 thematic panels in Irish and English which focus on various aspects of Ireland’s transformative relationship with the European Union. Into Europe" is a Royal Irish Academy exhibition commissioned by EU50 and the Department of Foreign Affairs and was curated by the historian and author Miriam Nyhan Grey.
Wednesday 10 May	Dublin 2 The Dean Arts Studios Dublin, 4 Chatham Row	'THIS IS POPVISION - the Commission Representation in Ireland is partnering with This is Pop Baby and the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland for a special Eurovision Trivia Party Extravaganza. Flaunt your Eurovision knowledge in our fabulous trivia quiz presented by the one and only Panti Bliss! Reminisce on Ireland’s Eurovision Golden Years with a performance by former Irish Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh and sing along to all the wonderful Eurovision classics played by RTE’s Eurovision DJ Conor Behan. Tickets, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, are available here.
Wednesday 10 May	Ballinasloe Europe Direct Centre Ballinasloe Library	Europe Day Marine Energy event - Ballinasloe Europe Direct Centre is hosting a day long series of activities focusing on marine energy and its role in supporting the EU Green Deal. An invited group of 45 students from Scoil Mhuire, Ballygar will take part in 2 activities: an info session on Blue Wise Marine / SmartBay by community liaison coordinator Sinéad Ní Fhátharta and a Galway Atlantaquaria to meet Dr. Noirin Burke, an ocean literacy marine education specialist who will give a presentation on ocean energy focusing on wave / tidal and offshore wind.
Thursday 11 May 12.30-2.30pm	Dublin 2 Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Merrion Street Upper	Lecture: 'Living and working in Europe- Ireland at EU50' - Eurofound is hosting its inaugural annual lecture on 11 May 2023 with Brigid Laffan, Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute, Florence and President of The European Policy Centre (EPC). This lunchtime event is hosted by Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound and Peter Burke TD, Minister for European Affairs and Defence, to mark Europe Day 2023 and Ireland’s 50 years of EU membership. The event also includes a presentation on the latest findings on Living and Working in Europe by Ivailo Kalfin. Guests will also be able to participate in a short, moderated question and answer session with Professor Laffan. Register to attend this event here.
Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May	Maynooth University	‘Ireland and the EU at 50: Politics, Policy and Transformation’ conference - Maynooth University is hosting a two day conference in partnership with the IIEA. European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness and Head of European Commission Representation in Ireland Barbara Nolan will speak at the conference. Details on how to attend here.