35 Years of Ukrainian Independence: Music, Culture and Unity

35 Years of Ukrainian Independence: A Celebration of Music, Culture and Unity

It was an incredibly vibrant celebration where Ukrainian music and culture, sincere emotions, and a special sense of pride in our country came together.

The bright vocal and choreographic performances were especially memorable. Among the participants were students of the vocal and dance groups of UA Mriya, who presented “Cheremshyna” (choreographer Viktoriia Remeslennikova) and “Na kraiu svitiv” (“At the Edge of the Worlds”) (teacher Alina Andriienko). 💙💛

The Harmoniia Choir solemnly opened the concert with the National Anthem of Ukraine. The song “Yak tebe ne liubyty, Kyieve mii” (“How Can I Not Love You, My Kyiv”) was especially moving, while a Ukrainian folk song performed by the choir filled the hall with a truly Ukrainian atmosphere. All of this was accompanied live on piano by Olha Soloviova. 🎹

We would also like to highlight Alina Andriienko, who once again impressed everyone with her strong, heartfelt voice — straight to the heart — and lit up the audience with her energy. ❤️

Every vocal and dance performance was wonderful, and each participant deserves the loudest applause and the warmest words.

The film “Culture vs War” left a particularly strong impression. It evoked powerful and conflicting emotions: deep pain for what the Ukrainian people, our children, and Ukrainian culture are going through because of the war, and at the same time immense pride in our artists, including Serhiy Zhadan, and in those who continue to create, speak about Ukraine, and defend its culture despite everything.

After the concert, guests were treated to another lovely surprise from Mrs Larysa — a cake where every slice was unique. 🍰 It added even more colour and flavour to the celebration.

The festive atmosphere was also complemented by invited guests from neighbouring counties, who brought everyone to life with their dance. Thank you for joining us and sharing this special day with us!

We sincerely thank the organisers, Galway City Partnership, all the organisations that contributed to the event, the volunteers, and everyone who gave their time, energy, and a piece of their heart to this celebration.

A special thank you also goes to Alina Andriienko and Nataliia Korniienko for their direct contribution to the organisation of this day.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and celebrated together with us.

And very soon we will meet again — on 29 August for the screening of the Ukrainian film “Nu Mam”.

We pray for our Ukraine and its Independence. May there be many more gatherings like this ahead, filled with joy, pride, and only tears of happiness.

P.S. Thanks to a donation, our library has also been enriched with three new books 📚💙💛 We will definitely tell you more about each of them very soon.

Glory to Ukraine! 💙💛