European Day of Languages at UL

European Day of Languages at UL

Celebrating the linguistic and cultural diversity of the UL campus community

European Day of Languages (EDL) has promoted linguistic and cultural diversity throughout Europe over the past twenty years. 

EDL has always been a special day at UL, an opportunity to enjoy the many vibrant languages and cultures on campus.

This year, it was celebrated through a series of exciting events, which were launched by Professor Mairead Moriarty, UL Interim Vice President Global and Community Engagement.

The day began with an international coffee morning at Eden restaurant attended by more than one hundred students from around the world, and by Professor Shane Kilcommins, Dean of AHSS, Michelle Daly, student Intercultural Advocate, Dr Angela Farrell and Catherine Jeanneau from the School of Modern Languages and Applied Languages and Postgraduate Student Union team led by President, Rania Shadeed. The event provided the opportunity for linguistic and cultural exchanges in an informal atmosphere. It was followed by a photo booth event on the UL Plaza, which captured the numerous languages spoken on the UL campus by students, highlighting internationalisation at home.

The grand finale was an online evening performance event featuring students from fifteen different countries, which was officially by UL Professor Kerstin Mey in her native German language. This offered a journey around the world highlighting the literature, poetry, folklore and singing of the various countries represented, with each performer introduced by faculty from the School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics and English, Irish and Communication. Students spoke knowledgeably and passionately about their performance piece highlighting its significance to their lives. 

The day of events was organised by Dr Marie-Thérèse Batardière, Dr Angela Farrell, Michelle Daly and Catherine Jeanneau from the School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics with the support of the PPLI (Post-Primary Languages – Ireland) to promote greater intercultural communication and understanding as a key European Union and UL goal.

For more info on the EDL, check: https://edl.ecml.at/Portals/33/documents/poster/EDL-infographic-languages-EN.pdf