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A Message from the Consul General

June 2021
A chairde, dear friends,

We are delighted to be reaching out with an early summer edition of our Newsletter. 
As public health conditions improve and restrictions lift in Atlanta and around the US Southeast, we are looking forward to seeing many of the friends of the Consulate safely over the coming months.

Since St. Patrick’s Day we have been working hard to answer all queries and to engage with as many people remotely as we can, while we continue to work mostly virtually for the time being.

A very positive development in recent weeks is the introduction of the Passport Online Service for all US residents. This system is faster and less expensive than the paper-based application system and should reduce the workload for applicants here in the US.

We have been celebrating Irish culture recently: I was delighted to celebrate Karl Drake’s 30+ years of achievements with the Drake School of Irish Dance at the Peach State Feis and Féile Georgia on May 2-3rd. It was very special to celebrate Karl’s longstanding contribution to Irish dance and culture with him. On June 12th, I had the honor of attending the inaugural Burke Connolly Championships and Feis na Tara weekend hosted by Emma Burke and Erin Connolly. Atlanta Irish Dance by Burke Connolly is an impressive organization that is going to continue to make a huge contribution to Irish culture and community here in Atlanta.

In May, we celebrated Europe Day with a series of virtual events with our EU colleagues. We also marked World Bee Day with a visit to a community garden and apiary in Decatur that we are thrilled to be partnering with. Partners in Action for a Healthy Living (PAHL) is a wonderful organization that promotes healthy living and sustainability in the community. We will continue to work with them to expand their work particularly around education and learning.

This month we will celebrate Bloomsday on Wednesday, June 16th with a fantastic virtual event with Arís Theatre called ‘In Praise of Women’. We will also host a virtual talk by historian Damien Shiels on Thursday, June 24th on the experience of Irish and Irish Americans at Andersonville, Georgia military prison during the American Civil War. More on both of these events can be found in this newsletter.
 
We are very excited to have a new team member at the Consulate: Tyriq Jackson has joined us as our new Public Diplomacy and Outreach Officer. His role will involve expanding our reach and connections to new audiences and communities throughout the Southeast region.

We look forward to staying in touch with old friends and reaching out to new ones!

Le gach dea ghui, with best wishes from all at the Consulate, 

Ciara O'Floinn, Consul General

Join us on Facebook at @IrelandAtlanta or Twitter at @IrelandAtlanta

COVID-19 - Updates from Ireland

Travelling to Ireland
Irish Government advice to avoid non-essential travel will remain in place until 18 July. As and from 19 July this will be changed to advise citizens to travel safely and in accordance with public health guidance and restrictions.

To learn full details of arrangements for international travel from 19 July, please click here to go to GOV.ie.

Detailed information on all requirements currently in place related to travelling to Ireland is also available on the GOV.ie website.
Passport Online
Passport Online is now open to all applicants, including children, those renewing their passports and those applying for their first passport who are resident in the USA.

To apply via Passport Online, please visit: https://passportonline.dfa.ie/Apply/Passport

You will need:
  • your most recent passport
  • a digital photograph
  • an email address
  • credit/debit card
Paper passport applications are no longer being distributed or processed. 

Useful links:

News from the Consulate

CG Ireland in Atlanta has grown! We are delighted to welcome our new colleague Tyriq Jackson to team 🇮🇪 as he takes up his role as Public Diplomacy & Research Officer this month. Welcome Tyriq!
Supporting Partners in Action for Healthy Living
On World Bee Day 2021, Consul General Ciara O'Floinn, and Vice Consul Sarah Keane, were delighted to announce our support for the Partners in Action for Healthy Living Pollinator Program! We saw the PAHL team at work helping pollinators and promoting sustainability in the community at Belvedere Peace Garden in Decatur, their largest garden and hive. We look forward to collaborating with them on this initiative and will be sharing highlights in future editions of the newsletter. 
 

Upcoming Events

Celebrating Bloomsday 2021
Join the Consulate General of Ireland and Arís Theatre for an online program celebrating Bloomsday 2021.

Premiering on YouTube on Bloomsday, this multi-faceted event entitled 'In Praise of Women' features a cast of contributors and performers focusing on the theme of women across Joyce's life and work. 

There will be readings, musical performances, expert analysis, and author Nuala O'Connor will share insights from her recently published novel 'Nora', a reimagining of the life of Joyce's wife Nora Barnacle, who was also Joyce's muse and inspiration for Molly Bloom in Ulysses.

Watch the Program on YouTube from 7.30pm on Bloomsday, Wednesday, June 16th.

Click Here!
Discovering the Andersonville Irish - Virtual Lecture
Join the Consulate on June 24th at 1:00PM EST for a special virtual lecture by historian, Damien Shiels, on the Andersonville Irish Project.

The Andersonville Irish Project aims to discover the history of the Irish and Irish Americans from across the island of Ireland who fought in the American Civil War and are buried at Andersonville National Cemetery in Georgia. The Consulate is delighted to support this project. 

Damian is also the founder and managing editor of the website IrishAmericanCivilWar.com

Register for the online event here to receive access details: http://bit.ly/3rqt4

To learn about the Andersonville Irish Project, visit IrishAmericanCivilWar.com/andersonville-irish 
Irish Dancing in the Southeast
CG O'Floinn was delighted to attend Peach State Feis and Féile Georgia in early May organized by the Drake School of Irish Dance.

She is pictured with her children alongside, Karl Drake, founder of the Drake School.



 
CG O'Floinn had the honor of attending the inaugural Burke Connolly Championships and Feis na Tara weekend.

The event was hosted by Atlanta Irish Dance's Emma Burke and Erin Connolly.

 

Irish Arts & Culture

Phoenix School of Irish Arts Atlanta
Phoenix Irish Arts of Atlanta announces the launch of the Phoenix School of Irish
Arts! The school will start with a summer session beginning June 19th, 2021 in the
Historic City of Roswell. Music classes will be offered on a variety of instruments as well as singing.

Curriculum is tailored for private, semi-private and group classes for both the youth and adults! Future plans for the school include Sean-nós, Céilí and Set Dance group classes.

To learn more, please visit their website https://www.phoenixirisharts.org/
Creation of Atlanta Irish Dance Charitable Organization
Atlanta Irish Dance by Burke Connolly is proud to announce the formation of their charitable organization Atlanta Irish Dance, Inc.

The purpose of the organisation is to promote amateur Irish sports, Irish music and Irish arts, and to provide scholarships and stipends to these athletes and artists. 
Discover I-Grass at Elm Street Arts
On Saturday, July 31st at 7:30pm, Elm Street Cultural Arts are pleased to bring the quartet JigJam from the midlands in Ireland! Blending the best of traditional Irish music with Bluegrass and Americana in a new genre which has been branded as ‘I-Grass’ (Irish influenced Bluegrass), their onstage energy along with their virtuosic musical ability has captivated audiences throughout the world.

You are able to learn more about JigJam and ticket information at this link: https://elmstreetarts.org/events/jigjam 
IrishFest 2021 - Save the Date!
IrishFest Atlanta returns to Historic Roswell for an outdoor experience on Saturday, November 6th 2021! More details to be announced. 
Irish Melodies in Sandy Springs
Brendan Nolan will be at Thomas O'Reilly's Public House in Sandy Springs on Friday and Saturday, June 18th and 19th, at 6:30pm.
St. Patrick Takes the Day: Comic Irish Mummer Theatre
On Sunday, June 20th at 3pm, join Gateway Performance Productions for 'St. Patrick Takes the Day: Comic Irish Mummer Theatre'.

Written and directed by Sandra Hughes; traditional straw mask by Michael Hickey. Gateway Mummers have performed throughout Ireland, Scotland, Denmark and here in Atlanta. 

Venue: Little Five Points Center for Arts and Community, on the corner of Euclid and Austin Ave. (1083 Austin Ave NE)

Updates from Community Organizations

Irish Network Atlanta
Supporting Culture
Irish Network was delighted to sponsor a trophy at the recent Burke Connolly Championships! President of Irish Network, Sinead Connaughton, is pictured with Vice President Julie Callaghan presenting to the winner of the Senior Cup.

Third Thursday
Irish Network Atlanta announces the return of the Third Thursday networking event on June 17th at 7.00pm in Fado Buckhead. See Facebook for more info: https://fb.me/e/2nAyAd0g6
Shamrock Open
Irish Network Atlanta is also looking forward to this year's Shamrock Open, taking place at the Peachtree Golf Club on Monday, September 27th!

The Open is the major fundraiser for Atlanta's St. Patrick's Day parade, and full information on how to attend and support this worthy cause is available at the website shamrockopen.com
 AOH - Georgia
Divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah continue to meet both virtually and in person as they progress through the COVID pandemic.  Divisions have focused much energy and resources on outreach to older Brothers and members of Irish/Irish American communities who were isolated throughout this period.

The Archbishop Donoghue Division (Atlanta) held a special welcome home dinner for its Chaplain, Fr. Kevin Peek.  Fr. Kevin recently return from a deployment as a U.S. Army Chaplain.

All three AOH Divisions will be meeting in Atlanta on July 23rd – 25th for the biennial Georgia State Convention.  The formal convention will be held at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter.

The convention will also coincide with the 1st Annual “Midsummer Irish Celebration” to be held on the evening of July 24th at Thos. O’Reilly’s Public House in Sandy Springs.  Dancers, live Irish music, assorted surprises - more details to come but mark your calendars - All of Irish Atlanta is invited to join!

Recipe Corner

Summer Recipe

Mustard Glazed Lamb Chops with Summer Salad

This delicious summer salad from Bord Bia pairs perfectly with these tasty mustard glazed lamb chops and it's hard to beat this simple coating. Check out the full recipe here

An Irish Southeast Story

The Consulate is delighted to share the story of Billy and Leanne Galligan and their beautiful family. 

Billy and Leanne Galligan first met on March 17, 2001 when Billy was wearing a kilt and playing drums with the Irish Air Corp Pipe & Drum band from Dublin while in Savannah for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Leanne was there with some girlfriends for the weekend. They exchanged email addresses and became long-distance friends until a conversation about life in February 2014. Billy stated he would move “across the pond” for the two of them to build a life together. After a trip for Billy to Atlanta in February 2015 and at trip to Ireland for Leanne in July 2015, they became engaged and made plans to get married. Billy moved over to the States and they were married at the Old Courthouse on the Square in December 2015.

On April 12, 2021 Billy and Leanne appeared in Forsyth County courtroom, along with close family friends and some of the children's extended family, for the judge to sign their petition to legally adopt all three children. The Galligan's became an official Family of Five with Calvin (age 10), Kaylee (Age 6.5) and Carter (almost 2). 

Congratulations to the Galligan family!

Kids Corner

Summer Activities

Decorate Rocks

The next time you and your children are out enjoying nature make sure to have them collect rocks and tell them you have a a surprise fun activity. For this activity, you will need to go to your nearest craft store and get some water based paint, stickers, markers, glitter, glue, paint brushes, and other art supplies they can use to decorate the stones.

Help your little ones wash the rocks with plain water (do not use soap as this may hinder the paint from adhering to the rock) just enough to get the dirt and and debris and lay them outside to dry. It is recommended that you lay down some old newspapers to keep the mess at a minimum. 

The next step is to let your little ones paint until their hearts content. If you'd like the paint to last and keep their vibrant color, help them apply a small layer of Elmer's glue over the rocks. Once the glue dries, they can display them in the garden or throughout the house. They can even use them as paperweights or give them to friends or relatives.

Have fun!

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3414 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 260, Atlanta GA 30326
Tel: +1-404-554-4980

If there are Irish events you’d like us to highlight in future newsletters, please let us know by email to atlantacg@dfa.ie

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