Ireland: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Draws Hundreds of Thousands in Dublin

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Monday, March 17. Approximately 4,000 people and 12 marching bands from across the country, North America and Austria took part in the main parade.

Discover rural China through art

STORY: Discover rural China through art SHOOTING TIME: March 10, 2024 DATELINE: March 13, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:05 LOCATION: HEFEI, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SEBASTIAN THOMMEN, Irish artist 3. various of painting 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DIEGO EGUINLIAN, Argentine artist 5. various of painting 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANASTASIA PETRYAEVA, Russian artist 7. various of painting 8. various of traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun STORYLINE: A dozen artists from countries including Ireland, Argentina, and Russia have gathered in rural Anhui Province in east China for art. The artists came to two traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun for a watercolor painting festival, discovering rural China through their eyes and by painting brushes. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SEBASTIAN THOMMEN, Irish artist "I feel very relaxed. Everyone here is so nice and so hospitable and so generous. And it's a real sense of home here. The natural

Art exhibition commemorating Yeats held in China's Chongqing

STORY: Art exhibition commemorating Yeats held in China's Chongqing SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 24, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 26, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:20 LOCATION: CHONGQING, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the exhibition 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): DENG LIANGJUN, Co-curator 3. various of the exhibition STORYLINE: An art exhibition in tribute to the literary works of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats opened Wednesday at the Luzumiao Art Center in southwest China's Chongqing. The exhibition, titled "Ancestral Houses and Meditations," features paintings by more than 100 contemporary Irish artists inspired by the poetry of Yeats. Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 and is deeply favored by the Chinese people. His famous poem "When You Are Old" has been adapted into a pop song in China. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): DENG LIANGJUN, Co-curator "We collected these art pieces on display in 2023 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of William Yeats winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, in his hometown. T

IRELAND-DUBLIN-CHINESE CULTURE EVENT

IRELAND-DUBLIN-CHINESE CULTURE EVENT

(230724) -- DUBLIN, July 24, 2023 (Xinhua) -- An Irish woman is seen during an event of "Chinese Culture in a Van" in Dublin, Ireland, July 23, 2023. The annual event designed to promote the Chinese culture in Ireland was held in Dublin on Sunday, drawing hundreds of local residents. (Photo by Zhao Tianyu/Xinhua)

Lafcadio Hearn's lamp stand

Lafcadio Hearn's lamp stand

MATSUE, Japan - Photo shows a lamp stand at the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum dedicated to naturalized Japanese writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), also known as Yakumo Koizumi, in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, on Aug. 10, 2012. The museum was recently given the lamp, which was originally a gift from Hearn to Kenjiro Ume, a jurist. Born to an Irish father and Greek mother, Hearn arrived in Japan in 1890 and married a Japanese woman in Matsue, where he lived for a while. He introduced Japan's traditional culture to the world before passing away at the age of 54.

Confucius Institute in Ireland's Cork marks 15th anniversary

STORY: Confucius Institute in Ireland's Cork marks 15th anniversary DATELINE: Oct. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:29 LOCATION: CORK, Ireland CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Confucious Institute at University College Cork 2. various of a panel meeting 3. various of performances STORYLINE: With a panel meeting and Chinese and Irish performances, the Confucious Institute at University College Cork celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday evening. On behalf of the Lord Mayor of Cork City, Councillor John Sheehan in a welcome speech highly praised the institute's contribution to promoting the people-to-people exchanges between Ireland and China, especially between Cork and Shanghai, which formed a sister city relationship in 2005. "The Office of the Lord Mayor of Cork and Cork City Council fully support the aims and objectives of the Confucius Institute at University College Cork and have done so since its inception in 2007," he said. Over the last 15 years, the institute has provided Chinese language

Farrell, Blanchett win top acting prizes at 79th Venice Int'l Film Festival

STORY: Farrell, Blanchett win top acting prizes at 79th Venice Int'l Film Festival DATELINE: Sept. 11, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:37 LOCATION: VENICE, Italy CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of photocall of the event STORYLINE: The 79th annual Venice International Film Festival came to a close on Saturday evening at the Lido island of the Italian lagoon city, with a ceremony to award prizes for winners in the main competition, the Horizons and other sections. Irish actor Colin Farrell won the Best Actor award for his performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin," a black comedy that focuses on two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one of them unexpectedly ends their friendship. Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed the film, won the award for best screenplay, another Venice's major prize. The Best Actress went to Cate Blanchett for her role in "TAR," which centers on the first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. Among other major Venice awards, the Silver Lion for

Dublin hosts Ireland's 1st offline gardening festival since COVID-19 pandemic

STORY: Dublin hosts Ireland's 1st offline gardening festival since COVID-19 pandemic DATELINE: June 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:51 LOCATION: Dublin CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the festival STORYLINE: The 16th edition of Bord Bia Bloom, a national gardening and food festival in Ireland, opened here on Thursday, attracting a large number of visitors from home and abroad. This is the first time that the annual event has been held offline since it was forced to move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Irish President Michael D. Higgins attended the festival and announced the official kick-off of the five-day event, which is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors this year. A total of 28 gardens with various designs and sizes were displayed at the festival in addition to 17 nurseries and some 50 floral and botanical art displays. Bord Bia is an Irish phrase which means Irish Food Board, a state agency whose task is to promote the sales of Irish food and horticulture at home

Chinese proficiency competition for Irish college students held in Dublin

STORY: Chinese proficiency competition for Irish college students held in Dublin DATELINE: April 25, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:15 LOCATION: Dublin CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): ZHANG QI, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of the competition 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ANNA ROTH, Student from University College Cork STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): ZHANG QI, Xinhua correspondent "The 21st 'Chinese Bridge' Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital on Sunday. This is the first competition of its kind ever held offline in Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic." A total of 19 college students from Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland took part in the one-day competition. Due to public health concerns, a limited number of audiences including family members and teachers of the contestants were invited to the event. The competition comprised two rounds of matches. Eight contestants were selecte

St. Patrick's Day Parade kicks off in London

STORY: St. Patrick's Day Parade kicks off in London DATELINE: March 14, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:40 LOCATION: London CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of St. Patrick's Day Parade STORYLINE: London's St. Patrick's Day Festival kicked off on Sunday with the spectacular annual parade on streets around Trafalgar Square. Now in its 19th year, the mayor's annual shindig has become a highlight of London's cultural calendar. This year's theme is celebrating the contributions Irish people have made to the city. More than 50,000 people joined the annual procession of Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry. This year also saw the return of the popular Giant St. Patrick and the Garda band from Dublin. The celebration events will last for a week, with family concerts, storytelling, children's films and youth performances, as well community choirs, schools, dance troupes and a singalong finale being expected in the following days. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London. (XHTV)