Consulate General of Ireland, São Paulo Newsletter - April 2017
Dear Members and Friends of the Irish Community,
We hope you very much enjoyed the recent St Patrick's Day celebrations. Minister Halligan's visit to Brazil was very successful with an extensive programme of events in Brasília, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro which included visits to Universities, Irish and Brazilian companies, and speaking engagements at leading think-tanks as well as visits and meetings with various Irish community groups.
Below you will find information on some upcoming events which may be of interest. Make sure to follow us on twitter (@irlsaopaulo) and visit our website to keep up to date with news and events in the area.
GoGaelic in Brazil
Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro
We are pleased to announce that Gogaelic.ie, an organisation which aims to promote Gaelic sports to a global audience, will visit Brazil, hosting workshops in São Paulo, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro. Gaelic Games are arguably one of Ireland's most treasured and unique offerings and during their visit to Brazil, GoGaelic are aiming to introduce GAA Games to as wide an audience as possible. GoGaelic, supported by the Consulate General and Athlone IT, will be training a group on Ipanema beach, Rio de Janeiro on Thursday 20th April at 18h30 and all are welcome to join to support the workshop. For further information, please contact the Consulate General.
13th Annual Irish Theatrical Diaspora Conference – "Irish Theatre and Latin America"
27 & 28 April, UFSC, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
The 13th Annual Irish Theatrical Diaspora Conference will take place at the Federal University of Santa Catarina on 27 & 28 April 2017, with speakers from Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, Argentina and elsewhere. For more information on the conference, including the programme, visit ABEI's website.
Amy McAllister @ Rio Harp Festival
São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro, May 2017
For the 12th consecutive year Ireland will be represented at the renowned Rio Harp Festival by the wonderful Irish harpist Amy McAllister. Amy will perform at the festival on 14, 15 & 16 May and more information on these performances can be found on the festival's website. Amy will also perform in São Paulo on various dates, including with FIanna on 12 May in O'Malley's. For more information, follow Fianna's and Amy McAllister's facebook profiles.
Options paper on voting rights for citizens resident outside the state
On 12th March, the Taoiseach announced the Government's intention to hold a referendum on extending voting rights in presidential elections to citizens abroad. The Government's decision is in line with the recommendation of the Convention on the Constitution, in its Fifth Report. An options paper on voting rights for citizens resident outside the state has been prepared by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This options paper is designed to inform public discourse by setting out the range of options available to give effect to the recommendation of the Convention on the Constitution.
New Online Passport Applications for Adult Renewals
The Passport Service recently announced an online renewal service for adult renewal passport applications. Irish citizens who have previously held an Irish Passport can now apply for their Passport Book and/or Passport Card (only for use within the EU/EEA and Switzerland) online. To complete an online passport renewal application, applicants will require a suitable digital photo.
Online applications for a Passport Book will cost €80. Applicants can also apply for a Passport Book and Passport Card (only for use within the EU/EEA and Switzerland) at the same time for a fee of €105. Payment for online applications is made during the application process by debit or credit card. It is important to note that passports applied for online by applicants with an address in Brazil will receive their newly issued Passport Book and/or Card via the Irish Embassy in Brasília or the Irish Consulate General in Sao Paulo (dependent on location). Please note that this service may incur an additional postage fee. Further information about the online application procedure can be found at the following link: https://www.dfa.ie/passports-citizenship/top-passport-questions/
We strongly encourage Irish citizens abroad to avail of the new service and your feedback will be welcome. The initiative is part of the passport reform programme which is modernising our passport systems and controls and will bring further benefits to Irish citizens at home and abroad in the years ahead. Applications for first-time adult passports, passports for children, or renewals where a passport has expired more than 5 years ago, must continue to be applied for using a paper application form.
Follow Us!
To stay up-to-date on all News and Events, don't forget to CG São Paulo on twitter @IrlSaoPaulo or visit our website: www.dfa.ie/sao-paulo
Please let us know if you have any news or events that you would like to share with the broader Irish community through the Consulate's newsletter by contacting us.