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BOI Multicultural Day 2017 celebrating leadership in integration

Maria Walsh, BOI Workbench Events Manager, Roisin Crotty, BOI Branch Manager Limerick, Una Maher, Kayleigh Maher, Limerick Rose of Tralee 2017 and Cheyenne Keeley, BOI Workbench at the Limerick BOI Multicultural Day 2017. Picture: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick.

BOI Multicultural Day 2017 celebrating leadership in integration

To celebrate the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity, Bank of Ireland hosted a Multicultural Day on Friday, May 19 at the Limerick Branch. All over Ireland, Bank of Ireland was celebrating the Multicultural day.

BOI Multicultural Day 2017

Vincenzo from the George Boutique Hotel serving the 3, meter-long pizzas to students at the BOI Multicultural Day 2017. Photo: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick


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In the Workbench on O’Connell Street, they had music, food, and businesses showcasing what they do from all over the world. Everyone was welcome to join.

The events in the branch featured local performance groups and food stands run by people from different nationalities who have been invited to showcase their goods and celebrate their culture. There was plenty of entertainment on the day, including performances from a Nepalese dancer, an Indian singer, African drummers playing tribal music and of course 2 clowns who were offering free face painting.

Vincenzo, the chef at the George Boutique Hotel who has been living in Ireland for 10 years spoke about Italian culture and his home in Pompeii, Italy. To give the students an authentic Italian experience, he served 3 metre-long pizzas. An ice cream truck was parked outside the bank to provide dessert too.

BOI Multicultural Day 2017

Pictured: TJ and his wife who are opening a new healthy, vegetarian, Indian restaurant in Limerick. Photo: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick.

Guest speaker Kayleigh Maher, Limerick Rose of Tralee 2017 spoke to students from Thomond Community College about how culture in Limerick and Ireland was changing and growing thanks to multiculturalism. She spoke about being crowned the Limerick Rose of Tralee 2017 and how she feels about representing Limerick. Kayleigh said, “Limerick is fantastic. There’s people from all parts of the world and all parts of Ireland living in Limerick and there’s a bit of pressure on me to represent all these great people. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

She added, “The last time a Limerick Rose won was in 1994, so hopefully we will get there this year.”

TJ who is from South India was also present at the BOI Multicultural Day 2017. TJ is a regularly uses the Bank of Ireland workbench area to showcase different parts of India’s culture. He spoke to students about his plans to open a new restaurant in Limerick which will serve healthy vegetarian food with lots of green vegetables. This new restaurant will allow TJ to bring part of his culture to the streets of Limerick.

BOI Multicultural Day 2017

The 2017 Limerick Rose, Kayleigh Maher, who spoke at the event pictured with her mother, Una Maher. Photo: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick

Former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh joined Bank of Ireland as the events manager for Workbench in Limerick last January and she organized this event. Maria manages upcoming events and initiatives at the Limerick Workbench such as the monthly Startup Grind events. Following her stint as Rose of Tralee, she campaigned in favour of the marriage equality referendum and believes in equal rights for all people.

Maria said, “I am thrilled to be able to create an event like this as it’s an opportunity for all to come together to celebrate each other’s diversity. We have so much to learn from one another. At a time when it was never more important to demonstrate leadership in integration this is really a worthwhile initiative.”

To round off the BOI Multicultural Day 2017, students of Thomond Community College received certificates to congratulate them and acknowledge their wonderful showcasing of different cultures at the Thomond Community College Multicultural day which is held at the school every year. 

For more on Bank of Ireland’s Workbench click here

For more on Thomond Community College click here

To read about the Thomond Community College Multicultural Day click here

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.