Spring Festival Gala Ireland held in Dublin

Spring Festival Gala Ireland, an annual event to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, was held here on Saturday night, attracting nearly 2,000 local audience.

Sean O'Fearghail, Speaker of the Dail or the lower house of the Irish parliament, sent a message to the gala in which he wished the success of the event and everyone in attendance an enjoyable night.

Chinese ambassador to Ireland Yue Xiaoyong, officials from the local political and business circles and some of the diplomats based in Dublin also attended the gala which was held in the state-of-the art Auditorium of Convention Center Dublin.

Artists from China's Hubei Provincial Opera and Dance Drama Theatre entertained the local audience with dances, songs, traditional Chinese music, martial arts and stunt performances.

"I thought the performance was amazing. I love it. It was such a mixture of dances, songs, colors and costumes. I also love the stunt performance in which people walk across a bridge of sharp knives. It was so exciting," said Aoife Foley, a female language teacher from Cork, the second largest city in Ireland.

Chan Mullen, a lady of Chinese origin who has lived in Ireland for almost 50 years, told Xinhua that the performance, especially some of the old songs reminded her of the past years she spent in China. "It made me quite homesick and emotional," she said.

Jointly organized by the Chinese embassy in Ireland and UCD (University College Dublin) Confucius Institute for Ireland, the event is part of the 17-day-long Dublin Chinese New Year Festival which will draw to a conclusion on Sunday night with a concert at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

During the two-week-long festival, several tens of thousands of local residents and tourists have participated in over 80 celebration programs, said organizers.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins also attended a concert for the celebration of the Chinese New Year during the festival.