A chairde, 

As St. Patrick’s Day celebrations begin across the globe and as we look ahead to festivities planned here across Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, I am delighted to share our March newsletter with you. In this issue you will find an overview of some of the events the Consulate participated in throughout February and March, as well as a packed programme of events happening in your area for St. Patrick’s Day.  

As St Patrick’s Day gets closer and the excitement builds, I hope you all will be able to join in the celebrations wherever you are. St. Patrick’s Day is a unique day in which to celebrate being Irish, to connect with our Irish and affinity diaspora, to celebrate the uniqueness of Irish culture, as well as the deep connections with the many friends of Ireland and Irish people across the world, including here in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.

 This St. Patrick’s Day, we will pay particular attention to a number of key milestones in our country’s history, all of which have helped shape Irish society in a positive way.  2023 marks 100 years since Ireland joined the League of Nations; 50 years of our European Union membership and 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. 

On behalf of all of the team here at the Irish Consulate, I’d like to wish you all a very happy and enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming days. 

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir. 

Anne Marie-Flynn

Consul General

Ireland EU50 Seminar Series: Lecture by Philip R. Lane, Member of the Executive Board, ECB, 27 February 

Continuing the Consulate’s EU50 Financial Series Events, we were delighted to welcome Philip R. Lane, Executive Board Member of the ECB, to deliver a lecture on 'Macro-financial stability in the EU: Some lessons on the occasion of 50 years of Ireland’s membership’. 

The Consulate would like to thank the House of Finance at the Goethe University for hosting this event. We would also like to thank everyone who came along and look forward to the next instalment of our EU50 Financial Seminar Series which will take place on 20^th June focusing on the topic of Sustainable Finance – keep an eye out for details later this year. 

Ireland EU50 School Presentations 

As part of the Consulate’s EU50 programme of events, we travelled to a number of schools throughout February and March to discuss 50 years of Ireland’s membership in the European Union. 

We would like to thank the staff and students of Campus Klarenthal in Wiesbaden, Bertolt-Brecht-Schule in Darmstadt and Martin-Luther-Schule in Marburg for such a warm welcome and their interest in Ireland. 

If you would like the Consulate to visit your school to talk about Ireland, please get in touch with us. 

Riverdance Performance and Tourism Ireland Networking Event, 1 March 

Ambassador Dr. Nicholas O’Brien and Consul General Anne-Marie Flynn were delighted to meet with German tour operators and media partners at Tourism Ireland Germany’s networking event in Frankfurt on 1 March. 

The event was followed by an incredible performance by Riverdance at the Frankfurt’s Jahrhunderthalle. 

The Cloudspotter Play at the Keller Theatre Giessen, 3-18 March 

Deputy Consul General Patrick McDonagh travelled to Gießen for the German premiere of Irish play The Cloudspotter by Michael Harnett. The play was performed in the Keller Theatre Gießen and will run until 18 March.  

If you would like to go along to one of the performances, check out the Keller Theatre’s website or Facebook page for more information and tickets. 

German Irish Chamber of Commerce Dinner, 6 March 

Consul General Flynn was delighted to host a dinner for delegates participating in a study visit to Hessen, organised by the German-Irish Chamber of Commerce.  

During their visit, the delegation will visit a number of hydrogen energy projects in Hessen, to learn about best practice and advance cooperation between Ireland and Hessen in the development of renewable energies. 

St Patrick's Day Drawing Competition 

The Consulate General of Ireland in Frankfurt and Tourism Ireland Germany are looking for the best young artists (under 13 years old) in our region to draw a picture that captures the essence of Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. 

We’d like you to draw a picture of something in Ireland. It could be anything from a famous landmark to your favourite animal - or maybe even a picture of a visit you had to Ireland! 

To enter, you just need to send a picture of your masterpiece(s) by email to eventsfrankfurt@dfa.ie or by post to the Consulate’s address. You can find more information about the competition here. Entries can be submitted up until 15 March 2023. 

Book Club, 28 March 

Our Book Club returned in February with Manchán Magan’s Listen to the Land Speak. The book received a great response from those in attendance and inspired some great storytelling on the night. 

Our next Book Club will meet on 28 March when we will discuss Jan Carson’s The Raptures. 

We will run the Book Club in a hybrid format, with attendance possible either in-person at the Consulate premises or online via zoom. If you're interested, you can register via Eventbrite. 

Upcoming Events for St. Patrick’s Day 

Seachtain na Gaeilge in Frankfurt, 1-17 March 

Want to learn cúpla focal or immerse yourself in all things Irish during Seachtain na Gaeilge in Frankfurt? 

There are a number of great events taking place in March, including traditional Irish music sessions, a talk on Irish as a living Celtic language and a Pop-Up Gaeltacht in the Frankfurt Art Bar. An overview of the events in Frankfurt and around the world is available here.

 If you would like to know more about the talk, please contact Stiofán Ó Foghlú at TSOF49@gmail.com. For further information on the Pop-Up Gaeltacht or events in Frankfurt Art Bar, please contact Danny Kelly at +49 1522 5855804. 

Irish Set Dancers Frankfurt Events, 13 – 18 March 

Our friends at Irish Set Dancers Frankfurt are busy with a variety of events over the St. Patrick’s Day period. 

If you would like to put your best foot forward and try Irish set dancing, why not go along to the session on Monday evening? If you would like to listen to some Irish tunes, The Physematix band will perform in Niederursel from 7pm on 18 March. 

For an overview of all the events, visit the Irish Set Dancers Frankfurt website. 

St. Patrick’s Eve Concert with Bardish, 16 March 

If you can’t get enough of traditional Irish music and poetry, then the Frankfurt Art Bar has your Thursday sorted! 

Come along on 16 March at 8pm for what promises to be a great evening, with music from Irish music group Bardish. 

Admission is free. For more information, please contact Danny Kelly at +49 1522 5855804. 

Dausenau Greening & St. Patrick’s Day Festival, 17 – 19 March 

The Consulate will travel to the town of Dausenau in Rhineland-Palatinate for the first St. Patrick’s Day festival organised there.   

If you are in the area and would like to attend to experience great Irish music, food and drink, you can check out more information here. 

St. Patrick’s Day Irish Pubs in Frankfurt and Saarbrücken, 17 March 

The Irish Pubs in Frankfurt have planned some great St. Patrick’s Day-themed events! Waxy’s Irish Pub will have live music from Ina Morgan from 6pm followed by a DJ and party later in the evening. 

Irish Pub Bornheim have your St. Patrick’s weekend sorted with a St. Patrick’s Day Party on 17 March, followed by the Ireland vs England Six Nations Rugby game on 18 March. 

For our friends in Saarland, don’t miss out on the events at Old Murphy’s Irish Pub Saarbrücken. Check out their website and social media for further information. 

St. Patrick‘s Day Party at Keltenwelt am Glauberg, 17 March 

This year and for the first time, St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated at the Keltenwelt am Glauberg! 

The museum building will be illuminated in green and there will be a live Irish folk music performance in the museum bistro. 

The event is open to the public from 7pm on 17 March – check out Keltenwelt’s website for further information and tickets. 

St. Patrick’s Day Party with the German-Irish Society Friedberg, 18 March 

Our friends at the German-Irish Society in Friedberg are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Party with band Paddy Goes to Holyhead at the Bürgerhaus Dorheim on 18 March! 

If you would like to join on the evening, you can find more details and ticket information here. 

Irish Spring – Festival of Irish Folk Music, 22 March 

After a three-year break, the Irish Spring – Festival of Irish Folk Music is back! 

There are a number of great acts returning to the festival – as well as some new faces. 

For more information about the event acts, click here. 

Irish Business Network Stammtisch, 30 March 

The Irish Business Network’s is hosting a monthly Stammtisch and after-work meet-up on the last Thursday of each month beginning on the 30 March. 

The Stammtisch will be meeting upstairs in Waxy’s Irish Pub, Taubenstraße 11, Frankfurt from 6.30pm. 

Please get in touch with Róisín Russ at Frankfurt@irishbusinessnetwork.de if you are interested in joining or if you would like some more information. 

Consulate General of Ireland, Frankfurt
Signature OpernTurm

Bockenheimer Landstr. 2-4
60306 Frankfurt am Main