Hornbill Festival 2025: Irish delegates highlight deep cultural parallels with Nagaland

KOHIMA — Irish delegates visiting Nagaland for Hornbill Festival on Monday highlighted the cultural, historical and political parallels between Ireland and Nagaland, saying the two societies share similarities that go beyond geography.

Ireland is one of the six official partner countries of this year’s Hornbill Festival, alongside the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Malta, Austria and France.

The Irish delegation is led by the Ambassador of Ireland to India, Kevin Kelly, historian and professor Jane Ohlmeyer, former Irish footballer and current coach Terry Phelan, and members of BoINN, including artists from the acclaimed Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers.

Speaking to media persons in Kohima, Kelly said that the Irish see striking similarities between their cultural practices and those of the Nagas.

“In many ways, when I think of Ireland and its neighbouring countries, our culture is more like Nagaland than it is to Britain or France,” he said. “We share certain traditions—family values, the importance of community, and rituals.”

As an example, he pointed to funeral and burial customs, remaking that both Nagaland and Ireland observe multi-day ceremonies marked by storytelling, music, food and gatherings.

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“Despite being far apart geographically, our cultures connect in surprising ways,” he said.

Kelly added that Ireland’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi, now 60 years old, is looking beyond major metropolitan cities to strengthen ties with India’s north-eastern states.

“We want to raise the visibility of Ireland in different parts of India. This is why a cultural programme like Hornbill Festival is so important for us,” he said.

Nagaland’s developmental journey, its unique challenges and the opportunity for meaningful engagement prompted Ireland to deepen relations with the state, he said.

“For a small country like Ireland, building a substantial partnership with a state like Nagaland is more manageable and impactful.”

At the interaction held at Hotel Vivor, Kelly was accompanied by Ohlmeyer and Phelan.

Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, speaking on Ireland’s historical experience, said that Ireland and Nagaland share a legacy of colonisation, which shapes how communities perceive the world.

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“I can see how the Nagas are experiencing today what Ireland has also experienced,” she said.

Ireland, she shared, endured decades of conflict and economic hardship after gaining independence from Britain, emerging only in the past forty years from “some dark troubles.”

On this basis, she believes Ireland may offer insights and possible areas of collaboration with Nagaland, particularly in political negotiations and institution-building.

Former footballer Terry Phelan, who now works on identifying and training sporting talent, said that he had visited Manipur and is now scouting talent in Nagaland.

“We have identified about 18 children from northern India, including Manipur and Nagaland,” he said, adding that he will return to Nagaland in January to assess more players and bring them for training opportunities in south India.

Phelan underscored that sports programmes must incorporate education so that young athletes have secure futures beyond professional football.

“We want to create a movement where players—male or female—are educated about life during and after football. If they get injured or don’t make it professionally, they should still have careers—whether as sports scientists, referees or in operations,” he said.

He also stressed the need for sports education at the school level to nurture talent early.

Calling South India a “real footballing hub,” Phelan said that Nagaland can create similar momentum by building a strong grassroots culture for the sport.