The Fifth Province is an artificially created world where information is collected, disseminated, and shared. The blog should be conceptualised as an imaginary fifth province, a digitally inclusive surface where Hungarians can feel a bit more home in (and away from) Ireland.
The Fifth Province – an Irish blog is the realization of a long-standing idea. Irish studies has been present in Hungary for at least two decades, and has gradually integrated into Hungarian higher education and academic life. Irish cultural events, workshops, conferences, lectures, and other culture related programs (Irish related exhibitions, the Irish book club, Irish music and film events, etc.) are organized regularly throughout the year in Hungary. Some of these programs are organized by the Irish Embassy in Budapest, as the annual St Patrick’s Day reception and the Bloomsday festivities, while the universities that have Irish Studies Centres, and Irish related courses included in their curricula, offer a wide range of events from conferences, to invited guest lecturers and notable Irish personalities from Ireland.
The prospective audience does not only include Hungarians from the academic world, but also students, people from all walks of life, as well as Irish people living and working in Hungary.
The Fifth Province is designed to feature information (location, Facebook site, contact information) related to the institutions where Irish studies is taught, the Irish Embassy in Budapest, Irish businesses, Irish pubs, the Irish bakery, and the Irish book club among many others.
The other relevant feature of the blog is to regularly collect information related to Irish cultural events from the Irish Embassy in Budapest, the universities, Irish studies centres, Irish societies, and businesses. These cultural events are to be listed and regularly updated on the website of The Fifth Province.
The Fifth Province is responsible for disseminating and sharing all Irish related events in Hungary. The Irish blog, therefore, is a channel of communication that shares, connects, and broadens cultural and academic horizons between cultures.