The Ambassador of the newly recognised state of Palestine will visit the west today to say thank you to a village community who have a special place in her heart.
This evening at 7.30pm, there will be a major public meeting in the Community Centre in Kinvara, Co.Galway, where the guest of honour will be Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland.
On one of her first official engagements since Ireland officially recognised Palestine, the Ambassador will travel to the west of Ireland to make a speech on behalf of her people thanking the community and businesses of Kinvara for their support over many years. Also at the event, there will be special musical performances by Kinvara singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke and the Sudanese violinist Kitty Sabry.
“All the community in Kinvara have a special place in my heart”
Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland.
Over recent years, the small fishing village in Galway with a population of around 1500 people has taken a stance against Israeli actions in Palestine. During the Israeli war on Gaza in the summer of 2014, the people of Kinvara, businesses and consumers took a collective stand against Israeli actions in Gaza, by pledging to support the growing boycott movement (known as BDS – Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against the state of Israel.
They removed Israeli goods from their shops and restaurants and made international headlines by becoming the first and only Irish town to take this type of collective action, prompting the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland at the time, Ahmed Abdelrazek, to visit the south Galway village to thank the community. This ongoing boycott is one of the reasons that the Ambassador has chosen Kinvara as one of her first official visits in Ireland.
Last November, there was a candlelit vigil in Kinvara to mark the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, where hundreds of villagers walked in silence along the coast from Dunguaire Castle carrying candles and Palestinian flags.
On May 28th of this year, Ireland officially recognised Palestine along with Spain and Norway. One of the first visits that Dr. Abdalmajid wanted to make, once Palestine was officially recognised, was to Kinvara in Galway to say thank you for the support shown to her home country of Palestine and especially to Gaza, where she was born.
“All the community in Kinvara have a special place in my heart”, the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland told a member of the community group organising the event.