Over the years, cultural relations between Iran and Ireland have advanced considerably, which is an interesting development considering the geographic distance between both countries, as well as cultural and linguistic differences.

Most notably, there has been significant progress in the field of academic and research cooperation.

When the Irish Embassy was based in Tehran, many Iranian students came to Ireland to benefit from the scientific and research environment provided by Irish universities. These opportunities also provided the added advantage of learning English and in some cases a number of language scholarships were awarded for this purpose.

In the 1980s and 1990s a number of Iranian students were awarded scholarships by the Irish government and after they returned to Iran following the completion of their studies they engaged in teaching and research in universities and other higher education settings.

A number of cooperation agreements have also been established between Iranian and Irish universities.

Over the past few years, award-winning Iranian films have been screened at the Silk Road Film Festival.

In recent years, the Embassy has hosted events to celebrate Nowruz (New Year). Traditional Iranian music groups have come to Ireland to perform for Irish audiences and the Iranian community in Ireland.

Bilateral cooperation has developed between some of Ireland’s most important national cultural institutions, including the National Museum of Ireland and the Chester Beatty Library, and their Iranian counterparts.