Irish Palatines Exhibition Launch

Our travelling exhibition on the Irish Palatines was launched in Kaiserslautern last month.

The most impactful and sustained historical link between Ireland, Rhineland-Palatinate and neighbouring German federal states are the so-called Irish Palatines, who were a loosely-associated group of approximately 3,000 migrants that left Germany in 1709 seeking refuge and a better life abroad.

Irish Palatine settlements were later established across Ireland, and their descendants have long been fully integrated and continue to make significant contributions to Irish life across a range of fields.

We could think of few better places to speak about this tangible, people-to-people connection between our countries than in Kaiserslautern, right in the heart of Rhineland-Palatinate, and are very thankful to Lord Mayor Beate Kimmel and her colleagues for opening the exhibition and hosting it in city hall.

It was also great to be joined by State Secretary Jürgen Hardeck from the State Government, and colleagues from Kaiserslautern’s Institute for Palatine History and Folklife Studies, who were a great support in developing the exhibition.

Earlier this month, the exhibition was on display at the Volkshochschule in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, and from 3 November it will be available to see in Koblenz.

Keep an eye on our social media channels for further exhibition dates.