The Tamil diaspora of County Donegal held their annual festival last weekend at the Regional Cultural Centre (RCC), Letterkenny.
The Tamil people trace their ancestry to India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, the union territory of Puducherry and to Sri Lanka.
The RCC theatre has a capacity of 143 attendees and the event was a full house.
“The inaugural festival attracted just around 20 participants and is testimony to the fact that Letterkenny is fast becoming a destination of choice for the Tamil speaking people around the world,” a spokesperson for the organisers said.
A section of the attendance at last week’s Donegal Tamil Festival at the Regional Cultural Centre (RCC).
The Donegal Tamil Festival this year raised funds for the Donegal Hospice which was the charity of choice. The entire proceeds, of more than €1,400, from the sale of tickets and raffle tickets went to the hospice.
The Deputy Head of Mission from the Indian Embassy, Dublin – Mr.Murugaraj Damodharan was one of the special invitees. Deputy Mayor Pauric McGarvey, former Mayor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly and Mr Paul Kernan of the Inter Cultural Platform formed the rest of the special invites. All the special invitees were adorned in Traditional Ponnadai(shawl) and Sandalwood garland along with mementos. Ms Jessica Sui from the Donegal Hospice and Aontu representative, Mary T Sweeney, were also in attendance.
The event featured popular singers Mr. Maruthi Nambi (Composer and singer), Mrs. Adithi Devarajan (Champion of Sapthaswrangal – a Tamil music competition), Mr. “Lollu Sabha” Easter (a popular cine artist and stand up comedian), Neya and Oppila (traditional Tamil dance practitioners), Neya and Arya (Bharathnatyam artistes). A new addition was the live streaming of a traditional arts performance by Vaagai Folklore and Cultural Heritage Research Centre, Madurai who were performing from India. They performed a few traditional Tamil dance and music items.
An AV presentation highlighting the Tamil language and culture was also part of the event.
The Ireland Tamil Sangam (Society) was formed in Letterkenny way back in 2009 by six families. Later it moved to Dublin where it is still flourishing.
The very first Tamil short film in Ireland (Sakura Pookal) was shot in Letterkenny in 2019 and was screened at Century Cinema as part of the Culture Night with over 50 diverse events in 27 venues.
The first book in Ireland containing a series of Tamil poems, Ayarlanthin Atlantic Karayilirunthu – From the shores of the Atlantic of Ireland) was written by a Tamil person living in Letterkenny.
Tags:
