As part of a cooperation between the Consulate General of Ireland in Frankfurt am Main, the Ludwigshafen City Museum and the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, the exhibition "The Irish Palatinate Story" will be on display in the city of Ludwigshafen from November 18, 2025 to January 9, 2026. The show will be on display in the auditorium of the C-Building of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, Ernst-Boehe-Straße 4-6 in Ludwigshafen Mundenheim. The poster exhibition is open to all interested parties and admission is free.
In 1709, around 3,000 men and women from what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg sought refuge abroad due to the effects of the War of the Spanish Succession and the famine and found refuge in Ireland, among other places. Palatine settlements were later established throughout Ireland, particularly in the counties of Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Wexford. The families bore names such as Cave, Crowe, Heck, Ross, Switzer, Wolf and Young. Their descendants have long been fully integrated and make an important contribution to Irish life in many areas. And there is no doubt that the so-called "Irish Palatines" symbolize in a very special way the deep historical connection between Ireland and the Palatinate. Over the past twelve months, the Consulate General of Ireland in Frankfurt has been working closely with archives in Germany and Ireland to put together a traveling exhibition that is unique in its kind and tells the story of the "Irish Palatines". The exhibition comprises 19 roll-ups and contains photos, prints, illustrated texts in German and English as well as a bilingual brochure.
The exhibition was opened on November 18, 2025 in the auditorium of the university's C-building. Professor Nina Knape, Ph.D., Vice President for Studies, Education and Diversity at the university, Anne-Marie Flynn, Consul General of Ireland in Frankfurt am Main, and Dr. Stefan Mörz, Director of the Ludwigshafen City Archives, who was standing in for Dr. Regina Heilmann, Director of the City Museum, who was ill, gave welcoming speeches. All three emphasized the good and close economic, political and private connections between Ireland and the Palatinate and the exciting topic of the exhibition, which has so far received little attention in the history of migration in the Palatinate. "The exhibition is also a reminder in times of current refugee debates and shows that being allowed to stay in your home country is a privilege," said the Vice President in her welcoming address. "We are delighted to be able to show the exhibition here in Ludwigshafen. It looks at a story that represents the deepest and most enduring connection between Ireland and this wonderful part of the world - and indeed with the whole of Germany. We invite you all to engage further with this history and also with the wider relationship between our two countries, which continues to add so much value at this fundamental, human level," added Consul General Anne-Marie Flynn in her welcome address.
Dr. Sabine Klapp, Director of the Institute for Palatine History and Folklore in Kaiserslautern, whose institute advised on the exhibition concept, gave an expert introduction to the exhibition.
The opening hours of the exhibition are Monday to Friday 7 am to 8 pm and Saturday 7.30 am to 8 pm. Closing days are from December 24, 2025 to January 1, 2026 inclusive.
Contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Petra Schorat-Waly
Diversity Manager
Tel.: 0621 5203-358
Email: petra.schorat-waly@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
City of Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Dr. Regina Heilmann
Tel. 0621 504-2580
Email: regina.heilmann@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 ludwigshafen.de
