Celebrations as Dublin shepherds in Year of the Sheep

Katy Wong from the Chinese Irish Cultural Academy (CICA) on stage at Meeting House Square in Dublin. Photo: Fergal Phillips

Kirsty Blake Knox Twitter Email

February 23 2015 12:49 AM

It WAS out with the horse and in with the sheep as the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival celebrations continued yesterday.

Ornate papier-mâché dragons wound through the crowds of Dublin's Meeting House Square while schoolchildren dressed in technicolour costumes performed Dun Huang dance routines.

Pop-up food stalls served trays of piping hot dumplings to hungry passers-by.

"I came up from Clare to watch dragons dance and eat lots of delicious Chinese food," Caoimhe Quach said.

Backstage, mother Yuhongyu Zheng was making last-minute adjustments to her four-year-old daughter Linyia's peacock dance ensemble.

"It is lovely to see the children have a nice time and celebrate their culture," she said.

Now in its eighth year, the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival celebrates Sino-Irish relations over the course of 15 days. A range of activities including Mandarin language tours, Lunar feasts and Chinese kite making classes have been on offer.

One of China's most innovative artists Qingsong Wang's exhibition 'Everything is Possible' will be on display in the Gallery of Photography until March 1.