Minister Calleary announces Oireachtas na hEorpa, an evening of Irish-language culture in Brussels to mark Ireland's EU Presidency

• Minister Calleary announces signature Irish-language cultural event for Ireland's EU Presidency
• Event to take place on Thursday 3rd December 2026 at the Albert Hall in Brussels
• "Glórtha Gael ag Treisiú Ceangal 1500 Bliain" to tell the story of Irish speakers in Europe over 15 centuries
• Performance in Brussels and livestream worldwide to showcase the Irish language to European and international audiences

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Monday 19th October) has announced that Oireachtas na hEorpa - Glórtha Gael ag Treisiú Ceangal 1500 Bliain will take place in Brussels on Thursday, 3 December 2026. The

event is presented by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in partnership with An tOireachtas, which is producing the programme.

The evening brings together sean-nós singing, dancing and music with lúibíní and storytelling, woven into a single performance. It traces the journey of Irish speakers to Europe over 1500 years, from Columbanus to the Irish Colleges of Paris, Salamanca, Leuven and Rome, and on to the Irish speakers who live and work through Irish in European Union Member States today. The performance will be in Irish, with English and French supertitles.

The starting point is Columbanus, the sixth-century Irish monk who left Ireland around 590 and founded monasteries in what are now France and Italy. Columbanus is regarded as one of the first writers to speak of Europe as a whole, using the phrase totius Europae (all of Europe) in a letter to Pope Gregory the Great around the year 600. Robert Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union, later described him as a patron for all who seek to build a united Europe.

Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2026. It is the first Irish Presidency since Irish became fully operational as an official and working language of the EU in January 2022, and Irish has been used across Council meetings and Presidency events throughout the term.

The event is aimed at Irish speakers living and working across the EU, and at raising awareness of Irish as a living language and working language of the EU amongst representatives of other Member States and the EU institutions.

Speaking today, Minister Calleary said:

More than fourteen centuries ago, St Columbanus showed that an Irish speaker from the edge of Europe could help shape its future. His legacy reminds us that the Irish language has a place not only in our past, but in the Europe of today. When Robert Schuman described St Columbanus as a patron of those who seek to build a united Europe, he recognised something Ireland has long known: that our language, culture and traditions have been part of the European story for centuries.

'Glórtha Gael ag Treisiú Ceangal 1500 Bliain’ captures perfectly the enduring relationship between the Irish language and Europe, and I want to thank An tOireachtas for bringing that story to life through a performance that celebrates a living language with a long European story behind it.

Speaking also today, Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha, An tOireachtas said:

An tOireachtas is honoured to present this original artistic production, celebrating the enduring cultural bonds between Ireland and Europe, from the pioneering journeys of Saint Columbanus in the late sixth century to the vibrant connections of today, as Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Weaving together the richness of Ireland’s traditional and contemporary performing arts, this special concert showcases the distinctive beauty of sean-nós singing and dance, the artistry of our oral traditions—including lúibíní, storytelling, poetry and drama—and the captivating sounds of Irish instrumental music.