Even though LatWest has not reported publicly on its activities for some time, we are now in our 9th year of continuous work — perhaps on a smaller scale than before, but no less meaningful.
LatWest is a non-profit organisation in County Mayo whose work spans many areas — from promoting Latvian culture to addressing social issues and supporting integration. We offer consultations and practical help to Latvians, immigrants of all backgrounds, and local residents on matters such as employment, housing, healthcare, and documentation. We charge nothing for these services.
One of LatWest's most active members is Noel Lyons. LatWest is a model of integration in both directions — countless Irish people have learned about Latvian culture and traditions thanks to Noel's deep roots in the Irish community.
Over the years, we have worked closely with the Embassy of Latvia in Ireland, the Irish Latvian Chamber of Commerce (ĪLTK), the Latvian Association in Ireland (LBĪ), choir eLVē, dance groups Karbunkulis and Rietumkrasts, and the Mayo Latvian children's school "Graudins." Our greatest pride is the recorded album of Gunars Meijers' songs in English, "Angels in Your Eyes," and the published poetry collection with Latvian songs translated into English and Irish, "Balsis uz tilta / Voices on the Bridge."
Ireland today has a population of 5.4 million, of whom 1.2 million are foreign-born immigrants representing around 180–200 countries. The largest communities include Poland, Britain, India, Romania, Lithuania, Brazil, Italy, Latvia, Spain, France, Croatia, the USA, China, Germany, and Ukraine.
On 19 September, at Claremorris Town Hall, as part of Culture Night organised by the Ukrainian Community in Claremorris, we were invited to perform as representatives of the local Latvian diaspora. Our programme comprised three songs — Noel sang his own composition "Latvian Angel," dedicated to the memory of recent tragic events in the Claremorris Latvian community; I sang Raimonds Pauls and A. Rancane's song "Nepasauc, nepiesauc"; and together we performed Pauls' "Mēmā dziesma" in both Latvian and English.
Such a diverse cultural bouquet is a reminder that each of us is different, each carrying our own cultural heritage and traditions. Integration is not only communication at a verbal level — it is learning from one another, mutual respect, and respect for what has historically existed here.
