A new exhibition marking Ireland’s transformative 50-year membership in the European Union was launched in Dublin last week by Tanaiste and Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.

"Into Europe" is a Royal Irish Academy exhibition commissioned by EU50 and the Department of Foreign Affairs as part of the ongoing Documents in Foreign Policy series, led by Dr. Michael Kennedy.  It was curated by the historian and author Miriam Nyhan Grey

It consists of 12 thematic panels which focus on various aspects of Ireland’s relationship with the European Union. The panels are available in both English and Irish.  The exhibition will be displayed in venues across Ireland including libraries, public buildings, and educational institutions.  It will also be displayed worldwide in over 30 countries at various foreign missions and embassies.

Speaking at the launch, Martin said, "What this exhibition achieves so well is that it doesn’t just focus on the facts of Ireland’s relationship with the EU."

"It also illustrates our emotional and cultural connection, and it makes the strong case for the EU anchoring for our place in the world and our sense of who we are today.

"Across the 12 panels you can see this clearly – from a woman holding freshly printed euro notes, to John Hume speaking with Gay Byrne on the Late Late Show, to images from agriculture and fishing."

"The exhibition gives us a real flavor of how the EU has integrated into our day-to-day lives and livelihoods."

The Irish Times, in its review, noted that Nyhan Grey “trawled the archives of the commission, as well as the National Archives, the Royal Irish Academy, the National Library, the archives of newspapers – including this one, and more; to source images and documents that tell the story of Ireland in the EU over the last half-century. 

“’What I’ve tried to do is take a magazine-style approach to how the EU has shaped our lives,’ Nyhan Grey explains.”

Watch this promotional video for Ireland's EU50 celebrations: