東川町主催高校生国際交流写真フェスティバル

6月11日、日本大使公邸において、第11回高校生国際交流写真フェスティバル（Higashikawa Youth Fest）のアイルランド代表チームを選出するためのセカンダリースクール写真コンテストで入賞した3チームのの表彰式が開催されました。表彰式には、各校からの先生方、そして「写真の町」として知られる北海道東川町とのプロジェクトを調整したUCD日本研究センターの関係者などが参加しました。
アイルランドが東川町の写真フェスティバルに参加するのは今回が2度目となりました。本フェスティバルは、写真を通じた国際文化交流に関心を持つ世界各国の学校が対象です。
日本大使館は、ゴールウェイのサレルノ（Salerno）・セカンダリースクールに所属する3名の生徒が優勝を果たしたことを心よりお祝いいたします。同チームは8月に東川町を訪れ、世界各国のチームと共に写真フェスティバルに参加する予定です。また、2位に入賞したスライゴーのウルスライン（Ursuline）カレッジ、3位に入賞したコークのセント・アロイシウス（St. Aloysius）カレッジのチームにも、心よりお祝い申し上げます。

【Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador MIYAGAWA】

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador. Thank you very much, IJICHI-sensei, for your kind efforts in helping to make this gathering possible today.  
First of all, congratulations on your awards in the International High School Photo Festival hosted by Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido.
Hokkaido is the second-largest island in Japan, located in its northernmost region. It is as beautiful as Cork, Galway, and Sligo. Of course, there is also plenty of delicious food there. 
I am deeply impressed by the fact that there were many applications to this photo contest from various places across Ireland. For this, let me pay tribute to each school, and to the distinguished principals and teachers for their valuable encouragement of the students to participate in the contest.
My first visit to Ireland took place about forty years ago. I was a young diplomat, driving from Dublin through Belfast and Derry, finally reaching Sligo. At that time, some Irish people seemed to be becoming interested in Japan through anime and manga. 
Twenty years ago, I revisited Ireland. By that time, Japanese food, including sushi, seemed to be widely accepted by many more people, which was not the case in the 1980s. Eating raw fish was often regarded as something rather daring, or even barbaric.
More recently, after my arrival in Ireland in November 2025, I visited Galway three times and Cork twice.  
Dear students, today you are looking at Japan through the lens of a camera. This is an even more universal perspective. You will probably also be seen through the camera lens by your Japanese friends there. I do hope that you will continue to explore the world through your cameras. Future relations between Ireland and Japan will be shaped by young people like you and your friends in Japan.
Finally, I would like to let you all know that 2027 is the 70th anniversary of Japan-Ireland diplomatic relations. We are currently running a competition to create a logo for the celebration of this anniversary. The winner of this competition will receive a return ticket between Ireland and Japan, provided by Japan Airlines and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade! If you or anyone you know would like to try submitting a logo, please do so before the end of this month! You can find information about the contest on the Embassy’s website.
Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Later on, the Embassy's Japanese chef, Mr MATSUNO Yuki, will treat you to a variety of Japanese dishes.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

第11回高校生国際交流写真フェスティバル（Higashikawa Youth Fest）
https://higashikawa-youth-fest.jp/2026/index.html