EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) is Europe's network of national cultural institutes, with 36 members from all 28 EU member states and offices in over 150 countries. EUNIC members work in the arts, languages, youth, education, science, society, intercultural dialogue and development. 

The EUNIC Ireland cluster was founded in 2009 and is composed of Alliance Française/Embassy of France in Ireland,  Austrian Embassy, British Council Ireland, Culture Ireland, Goethe-Institut, Instituto Cervantes/AECID, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Embassy of Bulgaria, Embassy of Greece and Embassy of Romania/Romanian Cultural Institute.

The main purpose of the association is to create effective partnerships and networks between the participating organisations, to improve and promote cultural diversity and understanding between European societies, and to strengthen international dialogue and co-operation within and outside Europe.

Find out more about our two main joint programmes in Ireland, Short Shorts and Words on the Street, below.

Short Shorts

Every year we invite audiences across Ireland to enjoy a selection of the best short films from across Europe. A free event, now spanning across three cities in Ireland, shows the variety of artistic thought and approaches to cinematography. 

Traditionally the screenings take place in November. The Short Shorts from Europe are presented in cooperation with the Pálás Cinema Galway, the Irish Film Institute and the Cork Film Festival.

  • Short Shorts 2019: "Dodgy Dave" is a bittersweet tale about a dad trying to connect with his kid, with his job being secondary to that goal. The screenings take place in Dublin, Cork and Galway - follow the link for more details!
  • Short Shorts 2018: for the first time the programme was shown at Galway Film Fleagh, before returning to Dublin and Cork in November. 
  • Short Shorts 2017: "New light is shed on childhood cultural misunderstandings when a Chinese mother and her British born daughter speak as adults for the first time" - an animated documentary "Tough", shown in Dublin and Cork, was nominated for the BAFTA Animated Short Film 2017.
  • Short Shorts 2016: as part of our Shakespeare Lives campaign we presented "Star Cross'd", a contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet set on a windswept English beach, where ‘two houses, both alike in common crime’ wage an ice-cream war.
  • Short Shorts 2015: UK short film was "A Confession" by Petros Silvestros, two times winner of the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (for short films "ʼMike" and "A Confession").
  • Short Shorts 2014: we presented "The Hungry Corpse", a tale of companionship in a dark, monochrome London, from the perspective of a still, solitary protagonist.

Words on the Street

Crossing political and literary borders, Words on the Street is a free annual event, which takes you on a journey across the cultural landscape, in an evening of readings by contemporary European authors.

Words on the Street is a collaboration between EUNIC Ireland, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council.

  • Words on the Street 2019: actress Kate Stanley Brennan represented works from the UK. Kate read excerpts from 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman and 'Reservoir 13' by Jon McGregor at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
  • Words on the Street 2018: Elizabeth Day read from her own work at the National Gallery, including her gripping latest novel, 'The Party'.
  • Words on the Street 2017: author Kit de Waal read from her novel 'My Name Is Leon' in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, also known as Findlater's Church.
  • Words on the Street 2016: acclaimed UK author David Nicholls read passages from some of his best-loved works in Temple Bar's Meeting House Square.
  • Words on the Street 2015: UK author Alexander McCall Smith read extracts from some of his most fammous series in the impressive surroundings of the Abbey Presbyterian Church.
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