Sligo County Council was honoured to welcome His Excellency Jonas Grinevičius, Ambassador of Lithuania to Ireland, and Her Excellency Séadhna MacHugh, Ambassador of Ireland to Lithuania, to County Hall on Monday, 6 July, for the launch of the exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of W.B. Yeats.
Sligo and Lithuania Celebrated at Yeats Exhibition Launch
The event marked the beginning of County Sligo's programme of activities associated with Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union and celebrated the cultural connections being fostered through the twinning of County Sligo and Lithuania as part of a Government initiative linking each Irish county with an EU Member State.
Prior to the official launch, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Dara Mulvey, was joined by Ambassador Grinevičius and Ambassador MacHugh for a special flag-raising ceremony outside County Hall. The ceremony featured the raising of the Irish, European Union and Lithuanian flags, symbolising friendship, cooperation and shared European values.
Following the ceremony, Cllr Mulvey presented the Sligo flag to Ambassador Grinevičius, while Ambassador Grinevičius presented the Lithuanian flag to the Cathaoirleach, marking the beginning of the twinning relationship between County Sligo and Lithuania and reinforcing the ties of friendship between both communities.
Among those in attendance were elected members Cllr Clarke, Cllr Gilroy, Cllr Kilgannon, and Cllr McSharry, together with Chief Executive Martin Lydon, Directors of Services Brían Flynn, Emer Concannon and Jim Molloy, and County Librarian Donal Tinney.
Opening the event, Cathaoirleach Cllr Dara Mulvey welcomed both Ambassadors to County Hall and highlighted the significance of the exhibition as the first event in Sligo's EU Presidency programme. He spoke of the importance of cultural exchange, international friendship and the strengthening of ties between County Sligo and Lithuania through their new twinning partnership.
The exhibition, organised through a collaboration between the Europe Direct Centre at Sligo Library and the National Library of Ireland, explores the life, work and influences of W.B. Yeats, one of Ireland's most celebrated literary figures and a poet whose connection with Sligo continues to inspire visitors from around the world.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador MacHugh spoke warmly of her lifelong appreciation of W.B. Yeats and the role his work had played in her personal and professional journey. She recalled quoting Yeats' famous lines:
"I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams,"
during her interview to join Ireland's diplomatic service, and said she believed the quotation had helped her secure her place as a diplomat.
Ambassador MacHugh also reflected on the strong cultural connections between Sligo and Lithuania, noting the similarities she could see between the two and expressing her enthusiasm for building on the relationship during Ireland's EU Presidency.
Ambassador Grinevičius expressed his delight at returning to Sligo, having previously visited County Hall in October last year. He praised Ireland's EU Presidency initiative of pairing each Irish county with a different European country, describing it as an innovative and meaningful way of strengthening relationships at local level across Europe.
He said he was particularly pleased that Lithuania had been paired with County Sligo and looked forward to developing cooperation across a range of areas in the future. He noted that it was especially appropriate that the relationship should begin with a cultural event celebrating the work of W.B. Yeats, whose influence extends well beyond Ireland.
The exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of W.B. Yeats is open to the public in County Hall until Friday, 10 July, offering visitors an opportunity to explore the life, influences and legacy of one of Ireland's greatest literary figures.
