LatWest was founded on 4 February 2016 in Claremorris, County Mayo, and is registered with Mayo County Council.
LatWest is a cross-cultural collaboration, regional development and community platform on Ireland's West Coast (Co. Mayo), building a strategic link between Latvia and Ireland. Our goal is to go beyond the traditional diaspora framework, promoting open cultural exchange, community integration, academic partnership and mutual economic cooperation.
Our roots lie in years of community life — from early choir and ensemble projects and cultural events to large-scale Regional Days and international partnerships. Over the years, LatWest has become a trusted partner of Mayo County Council, meeting with Latvian city and municipal councils, and collaborating with the Embassy of Latvia in Ireland and educational institutions in Latvia.
For our cultural projects and events in full, see the LatWest Timeline. Among our creative achievements: the trilingual poetry book "Balsis uz tilta / Voices on The Bridge" (Latvian, English and Irish poets), the album "Angels in Your Eyes" featuring Gunars Meijers' songs in English, and the organisation of Latvia's Regional Days in Ireland in collaboration with the Irish Latvian Chamber of Commerce (ILCC) and the Embassy of Latvia.
"Culture is the force of identity — the ability to preserve one's unique foundation while respecting and enriching the environment we live in."
Social support is one of LatWest's most important areas of work. Each year we handle on average more than 30 individual casework matters — assisting with form-filling, providing interpretation at medical appointments, in hospitals, with An Garda Síochána, at Intreo and in schools, helping resolve disputes with landlords and employers, and offering guidance across a wide range of everyday situations. We support Latvians, other immigrants and local residents; we have also assisted Ukrainian refugees.
Among the most significant cases — two successful court outcomes: one involving serious wage violations, which resulted in the employer being forced to cease operations; another involving serious workplace injuries, concluded in favour of the injured party.
We collaborate with the Embassy of Latvia in Ireland (Dublin), the Irish Latvian Chamber of Commerce (ILCC), Daugavpils University, Mayo County Council and Cllr. Richard Finn.
