The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth will benefit from part of the €5 million funding for 12 projects announced under the UK-Ireland Cultural Co-Operation Programme.
The approved projects, which will take place between 2026 and 2030, include a first of its kind collaborative exhibition and events programme between the four national libraries – National Library of Wales, National Library of Ireland, National Library of Scotland and the British Library.
The “Across these islands – shared histories and shared futures” project, which will involve other partners and communities, will receive €750,000.
The project will explore two themes of engagement with audiences, specifically the distinctiveness of the culture, stories and languages of these islands, connections between communities and the enriching influence we have had on each other.
National Library of Wales chief executive of the, Rhodri Llwyd Morgan who was in Cork for the announcement, said: “This is such an exciting, inaugural and innovative project.
“It will see the four national Libraries working together to create engaging programmes, projects and materials which will inspire and offer opportunities for communities and families to learn and understand more about themselves and each other.”
The funding was announced at the second UK-Ireland Summit in Cork yesterday (Thursday) to strengthen post-Brexit relations.
The funding fulfils a commitment made at the 2025 UK-Ireland Summit to establish a strategic partnership to deepen and amplify co-operation between the leading cultural institutions in in the UK and Ireland.
All the projects reflect a mutual desire to forge a new path of co-operation, as set out in the UK-Ireland 2030 programme announced at the first UK-Ireland Summit in Liverpool last year.
Opened in 1907, The National Library of Wales is the centre of research into the culture and heritage of Wales and the Celtic nations. The library aims to make culture and heritage accessible for everyone to learn, research and enjoy.
As a legal deposit library, it is entitled to a copy of every print publication in Britain and Ireland. The library collections include 7 million feet of film, 250,000 hours of video, 6 million books and newspapers, 40,000 manuscripts, 1.5 million maps,150,000 hours of sound, 950,000 photographs, 60,000 works of art and 1,900 cubic meters of archives.
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