Ruth Negga, Tolü Makay, Cormac Begley and more feature at opening ceremony of Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU

A number of Irish artists featured at the launch of the EU presidency, as Ireland begins its six-month tenure today.

'Samhradh Samhradh' was performed by a collection of musicians: Iarla Ó Lionáird, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Laoise Kelly, Francesco Turrisi, Séamus Ong, Cormac Begley and Christina Polycarpou.

Following this, a lively rendition of 'O’Neill’s' March' was performed by musician Cormac Begley and Irish dancer Stephanie Keane, before a rendition of 'Dreams' from Irish-Nigerian singer-songwriter Tolü Makay, concluded the musical performances.

As politicians and diplomats watched the inauguration at Dublin Castle, a Palestinian Action protest took place on Dame Street, a few hundred metres from the ceremony.

A video on X depicts a few hundred protesters, waving Irish and Palestinian flags and hoisting an inflatable ball with the words “Still Funding Genocide" painted on.

Pro Palestinian protest taking place on Dame Street a few hundred metres from where VIPs are entering Dublin Castle for opening event of #ireland2026 pic.twitter.com/2yngssMRxY

— Joe Mag Raollaigh (@joemagraollaigh) July 1, 2026

Earlier in the day, Taoiseach Micheál Martin began the ceremony by giving a “céad míle fáilte” to the president of the European Council, António Costa, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelensky addressed dignitaries with a speech taking aim at companies in EU countries “whose only purpose is to work for Russia.”

Some will have seen in this a reference to Aughinish Alumina, the largest alumina refinery in Europe, which is located in Co. Limerick and owned by Rusal – a Russian company with their HQ in Moscow.

“I urge you to continue support through new European Union sanctions," he added, "and they are needed against Russia’s shadow fleet and against many of the companies Putin still relies on to keep this war going.

“Unfortunately, there are companies in Europe that are owned or effectively controlled by Russia and its sanctioned oligarchs. They keep supplying the aggressor with essential materials, even now.”

António Costa also spoke, and told attendees that, for hte coming six months, Ireland “will be the steward for the council agenda”, and will work “on behalf of 450 million European citizens.”

“I applaud your commitment to strengthening the European Union’s role as a principled global actor and your firm support for the United Nations, multilateralism and respect for international law,” Costa said.

“These are principles at the core of an international rules-based order and Ireland has consistently been at the forefront of that effort.”

The President of the European Council received applause from Irish TDs, the Taoiseach and President Zelenskyy when he mentioned working towards peace in places such as Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

The ceremony today marked the beginning of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This marks the eighth time the country has held the role.

In layperson's terms, holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union means Ireland is – for six months – the temporary "manager" of the EU body that initiates and drafts all legislation, though that must then be debated and passed by teh European Parliament. Government ministers have to sit at the head of the table for all of these meetings.

In practice, Ireland’s ministers act as neutral referees, keeping the meetings on track and helping 27 different countries shape new policies and agreements.

Ireland will host major political meetings, diplomatic summits, and press conferences. Hundreds of European politicians and journalists will travel to Dublin over the period of sox months, giving Ireland a higher profile on the world stage.