ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

HE Martina Feeney on the eve of Ireland's National Day

20 landmark buildings across Bulgaria will be lit up in green to honour St Patrick's Day

Author:
6
The clock tower in Tryavna
Photo: ireland.ie/bulgaria

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17 the Embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Bulgaria will light in green 20 landmark buildings across Bulgaria. There will be also two literary exhibitions dedicated to Irish famous Nobel ‎prize winners writers – James Joyce and Samuel Beckett. Beckett will be ‎presented in Tryavna while Joyce will be presented at Veliko Tarnovo ‎University where there is a faculty of Irish literature.‎

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

HE Martina Feeney, Ireland's Ambassador in Sofia, who is also the Irish ‎Ambassador to Armenia and Georgia in a non-resident capacity, talks to BNR's ‎Assia Chaneva about the upcoming holiday, bilateral relations, her special place in Bulgaria, and cultural and historical similarities between the two nations.

HE Martina Feeney

This year the holiday is more special. 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Ireland's membership of the European Union, and April marks 74 years since the country was declared a republic, says Ambassador Feeney:



Ireland and Bulgaria are both members of the European Union and there ‎is good cooperation between the two countries, says Ambassador Feeney. Many Irish companies, particularly in the property sector, left Bulgaria ‎after the 2008 crash.  However, there are a number of Irish businesses ‎located here now that work mainly in the services sector. There are well-‎established direct air links between Dublin and Sofia and in the summer ‎there are also direct flights to Burgas.‎

The National Library in Sofia
Ireland consistently runs a trade surplus with Bulgaria in both goods and ‎services. Irish whiskey and dark beer are particularly popular in the ‎Bulgarian market.‎ Which are the most popular Irish products in Bulgaria now and vice versa - what Bulgarian products can be purchased in Ireland?


"I am delighted that this year 20 buildings across Bulgaria will ‎light up in green for Saint Patrick's Day.‎ Let me just mention a few - here in Sofia, obviously, the ‎embassy building we will light up in green, but also the ‎National Library, Sofia City Library, The Opera and Ballet ‎house, and the Military club will be lit up in green.‎

‎Veliko Tarnovo this year for the first time will light up ‎Tzarevets fortress in green, in Vidin we'll have Baba Vida ‎fortress in green, Tryavna which has a twinning relationship ‎with an Irish town will light up its city clock tower and in ‎Plovdiv, the amphitheatre is going to be lit up in green for the ‎first time.‎

So we hopefully will have photographs and images from all of ‎those buildings and we'll put them up on our website,‎" shares Ambassador Feeney.

Veliko Tarnovo University with Tsarevets Fortress in the background
About 870 Irish people in Bulgaria hold permanent or long-term residence ‎certificates.  Many of these are students at the medical universities and ‎we estimate that a maximum of 500 Irish people live in Bulgaria, says HE Martina Feeney.‎

Photos: ireland.ie/bulgaria

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life    Ireland Irish embassy Martina Feeney Saint Patrick's Day

Gallery

More from category

Balkan developments

The prices of Easter goods are rising The Easter meal in the Balkan countries will be more expensive this year, BTA reports. Lamb in Serbia costs about 1,400 dinars (EUR 11.5) per kilogram in supermarkets. On Good Friday, fish..

published on 4/17/25 11:39 AM

Bulgaria's Antarctic explorers featured in photo exhibition in Sofia

Residents and visitors to Sofia will have the opportunity to learn more about Bulgarian scientists working in Antarctica and their important role in the exploration of the continent. The exhibition "Antarctic People - Caring for the Earth" by BNR..

published on 4/17/25 8:15 AM

платена публикация
Pamper Yourself: Affordable Luxury Hair and Beauty Services in Bulgaria

Looking and feeling your best doesn’t have to come at a high price — especially in Bulgaria. The country has become a rising star in beauty tourism, offering top-tier salon services at prices that won’t break the bank. Whether you’re a local or a..

published on 4/16/25 9:55 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Clear
Min: 3 | Max: 19
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 14
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 13
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 21
Clear
Min: 6 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 0 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: -2 | Max: 15
Clear
Min: 3 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 4 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: 6 | Max: 19
Clear
Min: 1 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 0 | Max: 15
Clear
Min: 3 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 1 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: 6 | Max: 18
Clear
Min: 4 | Max: 16
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 13
Clear
Min: 2 | Max: 16
Clear
Min: 0 | Max: 19
Clear
Min: 1 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: 1 | Max: 17
Clear
Min: -1 | Max: 16
Clear
Min: 1 | Max: 18
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

From the Rhodopes to the global stage – the village of Levochevo as a hub for digital nomads

Digital nomadism, a lifestyle where people choose remote work so they can travel and live in different environments, is becoming a phenomenon on the way..

published on 4/29/25 1:10 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"