March 17^th is widely known also as St. Patrick's Day - the holiday of all Irish people around the world who, according to the latest data, are approaching 80 million people globally, and in the United States alone there are more than 40 million people of Irish descent. That is why the Irish holiday is celebrated not only in Ireland but also in many countries around the world.

St. Patrick's Day has been officially celebrated in Bulgaria since 2016. The Irish people who live permanently in this country number several hundred, as several thousand own houses here.

How are Irish people going to celebrate their biggest holiday this year and what has the Embassy of Ireland in Bulgaria prepared for March 17?

We learn more from the current ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to Bulgaria, Her Excellency Martina Feeney, who is also Irish Ambassador to Armenia and Georgia in a non-resident capacity, who talks to BNR’s Assia Chaneva.

You have been in Bulgaria since October last year.

"Yes, I arrived at the beginning of October. I feel very much at home here in Bulgaria.

Sadly, because of Covid restrictions, I cannot travel outside Sofia and it’s very hard to meet people or organize big events, as the Irish embassy normally does. But I am really looking forward to being able to travel, getting to explore your beautiful country and meeting Bulgarians, once it is safe to do so. "

What are your impressions of Bulgarians?

"The Bulgarians I meet in Sofia are very nice, very friendly, very helpful and I am looking forward to deepening my knowledge of the Bulgarian people in the years ahead."

How will the Embassy of Ireland in Bulgaria celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

"We are definitely celebrating St. Patrick's Day. But because of Covid, we just have to celebrate in a different way this year.

One way to celebrate is to light up in green famous buildings all around the world. For years, the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia and Niagara Falls are lit up in green.

Here in Bulgaria, of course, the Irish Embassy building in Sofia will be lit up in green, but also the buildings of the City Library, the National Palace of Culture, the National Opera and Ballet, the National Library, and outside Sofia – the University St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Veliko Tarnovo, the Nikola Petrov Art Gallery in Vidin, the clock tower in Tryavna and the Municipality building in Ruse. We just adapt by putting green filters on the lights that are there already. We try to expand the number of buildings every year, so I we hope to have even more buildings that are in green next year."

The lighting of the buildings is part of Ireland's global initiative to illuminate world landmarks in green on the occasion of St. Patrick's Day, an initiative launched in 2010. So far, more than 450 buildings have been illuminated in green around the world. In Bulgaria the selected buildings shone in green on the eve of the holiday and will glow in green also tonight.

What other events besides the green lighting of iconic buildings in Bulgaria are you planning for St. Patrick's Day?

"There are a number of events in Sofia on March 17. We launch an exhibition of posters on the Bridge of Lovers near the National Palace of Culture - "Feast of Irish Culture". The opening will be on the afternoon of St. Patrick's Day.

The exhibition showcases photographs of Irish writers and their Bulgarian translators who have made their work accessible to Bulgarian readers, as well as posters of Irish films, Irish music, photos of traditional musical instruments, photographs of Irish dancers, and photos of remarkable buildings in Ireland over 500 years ago to the present day."

The exhibition will be officially opened on March 17, 2021, at 3 pm on the “Bridge of Lovers" by the Ambassador of Ireland, HE Martina Feeney, and the Deputy Mayor for Culture of Sofia Municipality, Mr. Todor Chobanov.

On the evening of March 17, the Sofia Film Festival will show the Irish cartoon "Wolfwalkers", produced by award-winning studio in Kilkenny, Ireland. On Wednesday at the Lumiere Cinema at 6.30 pm this animation, which presents an Irish fairy tale, will be shown with the original soundtrack - in English with Bulgarian and Irish subtitles. Then there will be two more screenings of Legend of the Wolves - on 20.03. and 28.03. in the House of Cinema, where the film will be dubbed in Bulgarian.

Curiously enough, a large part of the soundtrack to the "Wolfwalkers" has been recorded in Studio 1 of the Bulgarian National Radio with the participation of Bulgarian musicians.

"Traditionally, all Irish embassies hold receptions around the world on St. Patrick's Day, but this year there will be virtual receptions. That's how we are going to celebrate the day," HE Martina Feeney explains.

Edited by Rositsa Petkova

Photos: Embassy of the Republic of Ireland, BGNES and archive