On 4 July 2026, the United States of America will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence.

Ireland is proud to join the US in marking this major historic anniversary and to highlight the remarkable Irish contribution, not only to the foundation of the US, but also to its political, economic and social development over the past 250 years.

Learn more about Ireland's programme for America250:

• Formal launch
• Thematic events
• Irish story of America250
• St Patrick's Day programme
• Did you know?

In September 2025, the Government became a formal international partner of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission (‘America250 Commission’).

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is developing a programme of events marking this anniversary to be delivered across the US. The programme was announced by Tánaiste Simon Harris T.D. in September 2025 when he opened the new Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC, and formally launched at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in October by Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason.

Events will take place throughout the first half of 2026, including around the St Patrick’s Day period. A number of themes will be explored through this programme, including the contribution of Irish-Americans in building and shaping the US, as well as the inspiration provided by the US independence struggle in Ireland's own journey towards independence more than a century later.

The programme will include a travelling exhibition, which is being developed in partnership with EPIC.

The Irish story of America250 stems from all corners of the island and events at home and in the US provide opportunities to highlight the distinct Ulster Scots-Irish contribution to this remarkable story.

The Department of Culture, Culture, Communications and Sport will mark the anniversary with a programme of events in Ireland.

The 250th anniversary and the Irish contribution to the emergence of the United States was a common thread across visits 11 States led by the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, six other Government Ministers and the Ceann Comahirle to mark St Patrick’s Day.

The Taoiseach, prior to his visit to Washington, D.C., undertook an impactful two-day programme in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is renowned as the "Birthplace of America". In 1776, the city hosted the First Continental Congress, the signing of the Declaration, and the Constitutional Convention. The Taoiseach’s programme focused on the many Irish strands to this American anniversary.

He visited the Museum of the American Revolution to witness “The Declaration’s Journey”, an exhibition that explores the impact of the Declaration of Independence across the world - including Ireland. The exhibition features a number of artefacts on loan from the National Museum of Ireland, including parts of the Liberty Hall printing press, which printed the Proclamation of the Irish Independence, highlighting the influence of the American Revolution on Ireland.

At Villanova University’s Centre of Irish Studies, the Taoiseach delivered a keynote speech on America250. The speech highlighted how Irish men and women who settled in the colonies in the 18th century went on to shape U.S. independence. Among those referenced by the Taoiseach were Stephen Moylan, the Cork-born member of the Continental Army credited as the first person to use the term the “United States of America and Dublin-born Lydia Darragh, an important intelligence asset for the Continental Army who spied on the British army and warned the revolutionaries of impending attacks.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence, Helen McEntee T.D. visited Boston, Massachusetts where she joined Bostonians in celebrating Evacuation Day, a local holiday that also falls on St Patrick’s Day. The Minister’s programme included attendance at the Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the British Evacuation and the Henry Knox Noble Train of Artillery, hosted by Governor Maura Healey and Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. undertook a programme of engagements in the State of Georgia. The Minister visited Georgia Southern University where, along with Northern Ireland’s Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons MLA, he launched the first of a four-part lecture series on the Scots Irish contribution to the region and the development of the United States. The University has strong Irish connections through its campus in County Wexford.

The story of the Irish contribution to this year’s anniversary and associated events both at home and in the U.S. will continue to be an important part of bilateral engagement throughout the rest of 2026.