Starting with a St Patrick’s Day event this week, the Princess Grace Irish Library will be spotlighting the unique bond between Monaco and Ireland with a series of interesting and engaging events this spring. Here’s what to expect.
To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, the Princess Grace Irish Library has invited Irish author Flor MacCarthy, who is also the establishment’s current ‘Writer in Residence’, to give a talk on the fascinating correspondence between the Principality’s ruling Grimaldi family and the presidents of Ireland.
Set to take place on 19th March at 2.30pm, MacCarthy’s discourse will be delving into the historical connections established between Monaco’s royalty and Irish heads of state over the years, many of which she has previously explored in her book, The Presidents’ Letters – An Unexpected History of Ireland.
From Prince Rainier III’s first official visit to Ireland in 1961 to an exchange involving a Irish pony named Babbling Brook that was gifted to Princess Caroline in 1962, the stories will commemorate the enduring friendship between the Emerald Isle and the Principality that was inspired by Princess Grace’s Irish roots.
See more: Princess Grace Irish Library announces spring writer-in-residence
On 4th April, an Irish folk music concert featuring Zoë Conway and John McIntyre will be held at the library. Tickets to the event cost €15 and can be reserved here.
Then comes a gala dinner at the Yacht Club de Monaco on 19th April, which will champion the work of the Atlantic Youth Trust, an Irish charity dedicated to the development of life skills, resilience and cooperation among young Irish people through voyages on the Grace O’Malley tall ship. Tickets for this gala dinner can be booked here.
A lecture on Irish opera by Dr Maria McHale has also been scheduled for 24th April. Further information can be found here.
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In the photo: Princess Caroline (centre) with Mark Armstrong, Peter K. Murphy and his wife Jacqueline, Flor MacCarthy, Anne-Marie Boisbouvier and Paula Farquharson. Photo credit: Michael Alesi / Palais Princier de Monaco