Paris, France — The island nation of Ireland participated in its first Olympic Games in 1924 at the Paris Summer Games and today, 100 years later, Team Ireland returns to the French capital for the 2024 Summer Games (during which Daniel Wiffen won the country’s first ever gold medal in swimming in the 2024 Paris Games). And to mark the anniversary an exhibition is being presented in the courtyard of the Irish Cultural Center (Centre Culturel Irlandais) in Paris which is housed in a beautiful 18th century building. The 1924 Paris Olympics was the first time that Ireland was allowed to compete as a separate country, two years after the creation of an Irish Free State. The exhibition has been researched and presented by the historian Mark Duncan and has been commissioned in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Paris.

The exhibition explores the relationship of sports with international issues such as politics, trade, race and identity showcasing Ireland’s Olympic and Paralympic journey and highlights the difficult task of winning sporting rights for women athletes and those with physical disabilities.

Housed in a magnificent 18th century building beside the Panthéon in Paris, with a remarkable heritage as the former Irish College, the Centre Culturel Irlandais is Ireland’s cultural flagship in Europe. The Centre presents the work of contemporary Irish artists and houses France’s leading multi-media library of resources on Ireland as well as historic archives and an Old Library. The Olympic exhibition is on until September 8th. But if you’re not in Paris you can have a virtual look online at: https://archives-en.centreculturelirlandais.com/online-exhibitions/100-years-of-the-games
Centre Culturel Irlandais 5, rue des Irlandais – 75005 Paris, France. Telephone: + 33( 0)1 58 52 10 30. Mon-Sun: 2pm-6pm/Wed: 2pm-8pm. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette