Connection and culture at Refugee Week 2025

This year’s activities reached thousands across the country and demonstrated the value of place-based integration work supported by LAITs and CIFs. Below is a national snapshot.

Community gatherings and celebrations

• Donegal launched the inaugural iFEST in Oakfield Park, with nearly 300 in attendance. Organised by the Donegal LAIT, the event featured music, dance, poetry and storytelling from the Middle East, Ireland, Ukraine, Africa and the Roma community. Families explored the park, enjoyed food from diverse cultures, and took part in children’s activities led by Spraoi agus Spórt. Cllr. Niamh Kennedy, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, praised the day’s atmosphere of unity and joy.
• Laois coordinated a packed programme including potlucks, clean-ups, craft workshops, seminars, and a film premiere celebrating the county’s welcoming response to Ukrainians in Stradbally.
• Mayo hosted a family-friendly Superpower Skills Exchange, musical evenings and an art exhibition with Pakistani-Irish artist Hina Khan.
• Limerick supported an Intercultural Day in Scoil Mháthair Dé with 20+ nationalities represented and a full day of Zumba, cultural stalls and a flag parade.
• Sligo brought schoolchildren into a Refugee Week storytelling session and hosted a vibrant community celebration with Diversity Sligo and MASI.

Support and inclusion

• Events brought together IPAS residents, local clubs, the Gardaí, fire services and volunteers in celebrating inclusion via sport and teamwork.
• Football tournaments were central to integration efforts in Dublin City, Laois, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Limerick, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

Creativity and storytelling

• Carlow celebrated with an inclusive community art exhibition in the public library.
• Clare hosted an intimate exhibition event with the East Clare Community Co-Operative and CLDC, featuring local artwork, live jazz by the Chalumeau Quartet and homemade pizzas.
• Galway County ran “Poetry of Place“ daily on Instagram, featuring poems from migrants and local contributors highlighting themes of identity and belonging.
• Kildare facilitated a creative printing workshop for children and launched a multilingual welcome video.
• Kilkenny led with “I Am Me – Not Just a Refugee”, a photography exhibition by refugees exploring personal identity beyond legal status.
• Leitrim launched “Sharing Our Stories”, a children's book developed with young people in IPAS centres.

Film screenings

• Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown hosted a screening of Io Capitano at the dlr LexIcon Studio in partnership with the Integration Forum, highlighting the perilous journey of young migrants seeking safety in Europe.
• Kilkenny also screened Io Capitano at the Watergate Theatre to mark the end of Refugee Week, reinforcing the importance of empathy and storytelling in migration awareness.
• Laois Integration Network premiered their own short film From War to Welcome in the Little Town, reflecting on the grassroots volunteer response to the 2023 Ukrainian arrivals.

Education and awareness

• Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown ran a full calendar of events including a cultural competence training session by AkiDwA, a multicultural women’s breakfast and a sanctuary walk for IP applicants.
• Limerick partnered with Business in the Community Ireland to showcase best practice in workplace inclusion and launched a new Social Business Directory.

Refugee Week 2025 and the collective efforts of LAITs and CIFs showed that integration is built from the ground up and that “Community as a Superpower” is more than a theme - it’s lived across our towns and counties.