Nagaland: After the UK, Ireland named country partner for Hornbill Festival 2025

Dimapur: After the United Kingdom, Ireland has become the country partner for the Hornbill Festival 2025 in Nagaland.

Irish folk music, theatre, and the legacy of peace and reconciliation will take centre stage at this year's flagship international cultural festival of Nagaland.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Ambassador Kevin Kelly of the Irish Embassy in India made a joint announcement in this regard at Nagaland House in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Kelly said, "Ireland's partnership with the Hornbill Festival reflects the growing depth of Ireland-India relations and the shared commitment to cultural collaboration and peace-building dialogue. We hope that the people of Nagaland enjoy the best of Irish art, culture, and theatre, and that the connections we make at Hornbill Festival 2025 lead to even greater collaboration in the future."

Highlighting Nagaland's support for the collaboration, Rio said, "Nagaland is honoured to welcome Ireland as our country partner for this year's Hornbill Festival.”

He added that Ireland's rich culture, heritage, and artistic traditions resonate deeply with “our own,” making this partnership both meaningful and special.

“We see immense potential for expanded collaboration across culture, tourism, education, creative industries, youth exchange, sustainable development, and people-to-people engagement. Ireland's participation will greatly enrich the festival and strengthen the bonds between our peoples,” he said.

Rio concluded, “We look forward to celebrating this friendship and forging new pathways of cooperation in the Land of Festivals."