The Library of Birmingham will be going green this weekend as it shares in the city’s annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
To mark the event the will be lit in green for three days from Saturday through until Monday.
It will also be hosting a number of special Irish-themed events on Saturday March 15 as part of its Celebrating the Irish Community programme..
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“An Post: Honouring Letters From Home’ will see Midland artist Nicky Dowd talking about her film and artwork which reflects the central role of letters for the dispersed Irish community around the world.
Ms Dowd will be in the library’s Heritage Learning Space between 11am and 4pm.
The library will also be hosting a discussion panel entitled ‘Shaping the Irish Archive of Birmingham’.
The panel takes place from 2-4pm and will consider how Birmingham’s Irish community is currently represented in the city’s archive and how that presence could be strengthened.
Saturday also sees the city’s library service hosting an Irish Cultural Day at Shard End Library.
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The event will give people help to trace Irish family history online and there are a number of displays ranging from Irish food and recipes to famous writers and photographs of Birmingham’s St Patrick’s Day parade.
There will also be children’s craft activities, a selection of short films from the Irish Film Board and traditional music and song with Becky Nolan.
Jim Ranahan, archivist (photographic collections) at the Library of Birmingham, said: “The Library of Birmingham will be dazzling in green after dark and we hope that on Saturday people will join us during the day to enjoy some special free events celebrating Irish heritage in the city.
“Artist Nicky Dowd will be here in the morning presenting her film and artwork inspired by the Irish tradition of exchanging, reminiscing and gossiping over a cup of tea and in the afternoon we’re hosting a discussion on the archives of Birmingham’s Irish community.
"There’s also an Irish Cultural Day at Shard End Library, so there is plenty going on in libraries to mark the occasion.”