On June 16 through 21, 2009, St Petersburg hosted the Annual Week of Irish Culture, organized by the Irish Cultural Center, Museum of V.V. Nabokov at St Petersburg State University with the assistance of Russian National Library, Cinema center «Rodina», Irish Cinema Festival in Moscow, with the support of the Embassy of Ireland in Russian Federation, St Petersburg Committee for External Relations, A.P. Shashin, Honorary Consul of Ireland, and JSC «Lenrianta».
On June 16 through 21, 2009, St Petersburg hosted the Annual Week of Irish Culture, organized by the Irish Cultural Center, Museum of V.V. Nabokov at St Petersburg State University with the assistance of Russian National Library, Cinema center «Rodina», Irish Cinema Festival in Moscow, with the support of the Embassy of Ireland in Russian Federation, St Petersburg Committee for External Relations, A.P. Shashin, Honorary Consul of Ireland, and JSC «Lenrianta».
On June 16, the traditional literary and musical party was held at the Museum of V.V. Nabokov, devoted to the Irish festival Bloomsday. In the course of this event, the first exhibition of photography «Irish People in Latvia» was opened, from a series «Irish Dynasties at the Service of Russian Empire»; Irish folk ballads were performed by the group «Sherwood»; St Petersburg Theatre of Generations presented a fragment of the play «Sans Paroles» after S. Beckett; and the students of the Irish Cultural Center at St Petersburg State University performed the excerpts from the works of J. Joyce.
On June 17, the opening of a book-illustrative exhibition «Ireland – an Island of Saints and Scholars» took place in the new building of Russian National Library (165 Moskovskiy Ave.). Presented were rare editions of the XIX–XX centuries from the RNL funds, telling about the history, culture, architecture, the traditions of Ireland, its symbols and heraldry.
On the same day, J. McCarthy, Director of the Irish Cinema Festival in Moscow, gave a lecture in the Irish Cultural Center at St Petersburg State University; while in the Cinema Center «Rodina» (12 Karavannaya St.) there was an out-of-contest show of a musical drama «Group» directed by Alan Parker, within the framework of the XIX International Festival of Documentaries, Short-Reels, and Animation «Message to the Man».
On June 19 and 21, at Naryshkin Bastion of Peter and Paul Fortress, the visitors could watch the performance «Sans Paroles» on the play by S. Beckett (producer – Valentin Levitsky).
Source: Committee for External Relations of St.Petersburg