We were delighted that our friends in EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum were part of the official launch of Ireland’s campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term, which took place at United Nations headquarters in New York.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Simon Coveney officially launched the campaign on Monday 2nd July, with a special event celebrating Irish food, music, heritage and culture. Also supporting the campaign were former President and UN Commissioner for Human Rights and current Special Envoy for Climate Change Mary Robinson and U2’s Bono.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum were invited to take part in the event which uses the themes Empathy, Partnership and Independence to showcase Ireland’s strengths. The EPIC tent included two virtual reality headsets which allowed visitors to experience the atmosphere of the vaults, a number of videos demonstrating the spread of the Irish diaspora, and a laptop linked to The Irish Family History Centre touchscreen, where delegates and ambassadors could search for their Irish roots.
EPIC were featured alongside the Irish Defence Forces, Guinness and Bord Bia – all strong representatives of Ireland’s culture and its influence across the globe. The speeches on the night emphasised the importance of the UN in times of crisis and the values that Ireland shares with the organisation.
Ireland is competing with Canada and Norway for one of two seats available.
By Fiona O’Mahoney
