Poetry Days "Words Creating Images" - The Art of Poetry in Smaller Languages

As part of our 2023 literature series "Words Creating Images", the Embassy of Ireland, in partnership with Literature Ireland, the Latvian Writers' Union and the National Library of Latvia, hosted pop-up poetry readings and a panel discussion titled "Words Creating Images" - The Art of Poetry in Smaller Languages". The event took place as part of the Poetry Days festival organised by the Latvian Writers' Union.

Irish poets Áine Uí Fhoghlú, Seosamh Ó Murchú, and Molly Twomey travelled to Riga for the festival and took part in a number of events over the course of the week. Several of their poems were translated into Latvian by renowned translators Ieva Lešinska and Ivars Šteinbergs.

The pop-up readings of Irish poetry in the main concourse of the National Library of Latvia drew lots of interest and curiosity. The poets read in Irish and in English and, for the first time in Latvia, their works were read in the Latvian translation. It was a real delight for us at the Embassy to hear the Irish language in the surrounds of the National Library.