Presentation of the CCI
Ireland’s cultural headquarters on the European continent, the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris is a vibrant contemporary arts centre and residence where Parisian and international audiences cross the threshold to enjoy more than 100 events every year, from curated exhibitions, concerts and festivals to debates and performances.
Ireland’s cultural headquarters on the European continent, the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris is a vibrant contemporary arts centre and residence where Parisian and international audiences cross the threshold to enjoy more than 100 events every year, from curated exhibitions, concerts and festivals to debates and performances.
The CCI has become a key resource for Ireland’s creative community of artists and thinkers, offering residencies to 40 artists every year and accommodation to some 1,000 students since the opening of the Centre in 2002. Housed in the magnificent 18th century building of a former Irish seminary, the CCI looks out onto rue des Irlandais in the centre of Paris, one of the world’s most important cultural, political and financial capitals.
Located behind the fabled Pantheon, the CCI is just a fifteen-minute walk from one of the world’s finest medieval masterpieces, Notre-Dame, in the heart of the historic Latin Quarter. It is surrounded by some of the most eminent universities and research institutions in Europe, the École Normale Supérieure, where Samuel Beckett taught, the Institut de Sciences Politiques and the Sorbonne, as well as the Institut Curie.
The CCI comprises an Old Library and Chapel (which also serve as exquisite performance spaces), both dating from the 18th century, with the Old Library containing precious medieval manuscripts. It also houses a gallery, a separate modern library, archival rooms, accommodation for 56 guests and conference and meeting rooms, as well as a 2000m² chestnut-lined courtyard, perfect for outdoor festivals and live performances. With its prominent location and distinguished history, the Centre Culturel Irlandais has become the premier Irish centre of cultural and creative excellence and influence on the European continent.