This event will be held over 2 days:
- Wednesday, January 26th: Student Debate "Night of Ideas on Regional, National & European Identity today - with participation from 8 students from Irish and Breton universities as well as the Irish Embassy in Ireland
- Thursday, January 27th - "European Night of Ideas", with participation from the Ambassador to Spain and the Ambassador to Ireland, as well as the Mayor of Galway (Ireland), Lugo (Spain - Galicia) and Lorient (Brittany)
Student Debate: Night of Ideas on Regional, National & European Identity today
Alongside the European Night of Ideas organized by the French Embassy in Ireland, a consortium of three Irish (NUI Galway, University College Cork, University of Limerick) and four French universities located in Brittany (Rennes 1, Rennes 2, UBO, UBS) is organizing a student debate on topic of Regional, National and European Identity; it will be held online on the 26th of January (at 6:00 PM Irish Time, 7:00 PM French Time).
During this debate, organised under the auspices of the French Embassy in Ireland, we will explore the views of eight students on the questions of culture, language and identities in Europe.
PROGRAMME:
- Nomin Batsuuri (University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, University of South Bohemia, Université Bretagne Sud)
- Mathilde Bénazet (Université Rennes 1)
- Robyn Cunneen (University Limerick)
- Síle Maguire Conneely (NUI Galway)
- Gwennaig Foulon (Université Rennes 2)
- Lucile Garrigue (Université Bretagne Sud)
- Muireann McAuliffe (University College Cork)
- Léna Pallier (Université Bretagne Occidentale)
Moderated by Dr John Walsh, NUI Galway
Introductory remarks
- H.E.M Vincent Guérend French Ambassador in Ireland
Participate using this Zoom Link
The debate will be webstreamed and recorded.
European Night of Ideas
As part of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Embassy of France, in partnership with NUI Galway and the Embassy of Spain in Ireland, is organising the European Night of Ideas on the 27th of January 2022 at 6 pm, which puts Europe and its regional cultures in the spotlight.
The concept of the modern "Celtic identity" brings together the regions of several European countries: Brittany in France, Galicia and Asturias in Spain and Connacht in Ireland. These regions, marked by the winds of the ocean and widely open to the world, want to see the construction of Europe can be a positive factor in the development for their own identity, their language and their culture.
During this night of debate organised online, we will explore the views of the mayors of Galway, Lorient and Lugo on the importance of natural biodiversity and cultural biodiversity at the heart of a Europe open to the world.
• How is the promotion of Celtic culture not a withdrawal into itself but rather the will to preserve an original and magical culture and to make it a space open to the future?
• How can we explain the fact that Celtic culture, which is rooted in history, is so popular today, including among the younger generations?
• How can we put in place linguistic policies that that bring hope and diversity for the future?
• How can local, national and European identities be combined? Beyond economic aid, how can Europe carry the project of a humanity rich in the variety of its languages and cultures?
Thursday, 27 January at 18:00 Video conference
Program:
Debate
- Colette Connolly, Mayor of Galway (Ireland)
- Lara Méndez López, Mayor of Lugo (Spain – Galicia)
- Fabrice Loher, Mayor of Lorient (France – Brittany)
Moderated by Dr Cliona Hensey, Postdoctoral Researcher, NUI Galway
Introductory remarks
- Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh- President of NUI Galway
- H.E.M Vincent Guérend French ambassador in Ireland
- H.E.M Ildefonso Castro Spanish ambassador in Ireland
The debate will also be webstreamed and recorded.
