Ireland's Embassy in Turkey marked St. Patrick's Day with a traditional Irish concert Thursday at the CSO Ada Ankara, a concert hall in the Turkish capital. Speaking at the event, the Irish ambassador expressed the country's support for Turkey's European Union membership.
Ambassador Sonya McGuinness in her speech said this was the first St. Patrick's Day reception they were able to hold since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I enjoy seeing you all. It's tempered, however, by the events in Ukraine. Millions of people are victims of a war they did not seek, and this evening, I want to express our solidarity and that of the EU with the people of Ukraine. The war has shocked and upset the Irish people just as it has the Turkish people," McGuinness said.
She said Ireland along with the European Union has acted quickly to deliver assistance and that Irish people have opened their homes and hearts to Ukrainians.
"In Ireland, we pride ourselves for our value-based foreign policy. Values confirm everything that we do, whether that is the protection of gender and LGBTQ and other human rights or our support for the United Nations in the rules-based international order. We firmly believe that multilateralism is the best and only way to find global solutions to common problems. We believe instinctively in the importance of solidarity. These are the values we share with the people of Turkey," she said.
McGuinness also highlighted the failures of Irish history, saying they suffered rebellions over centuries, but she noted that the country was ultimately successful and allowed to take its place as a modern European nation.
"This year, we celebrate 50 years of membership in the EU. The EU is an organization of solidarity, of partnership at its heart, and we look forward to Turkey taking its place in that community," she added.
After McGuinness' speech, a contemporary traditional Irish music band, "Strung," was played for the guests at the concert hall. The band flew in to Turkey on Turkish Airlines from Ireland.
After the concert, envoys from other countries and guests were served traditional alcoholic beverages.
St. Patrick’s Day is held annually on March 17 since the early 17th century to commemorate Saint Patrick. Considered the "Apostle of Ireland," St. Patrick is said to have actually been born in Britain, but was captured from his home by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave. There, he spent six years tending to animals before escaping and returning to his family. Later in life, he became a cleric and then a bishop and returned to Ireland, the nation he now represents. Like St. Paddy himself, the holiday in his honor has truly transcended borders and is credited as being the most widely celebrated national and religious holiday in the world. While the holiday started off as an official Christian feast and was observed by the Catholic and Anglican churches, including the Church of Ireland, it has now become a day of significance worldwide and is celebrated by dressing up in green and going out to listen to Irish music and drink green beverages.