The upcoming Kennedy Summer School, which is set to take place in New Ross town from September 5th to 7th, will place a spotlight on the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall.

A talk titled ‘The Walls Fall Down’ will be hosted on Saturday, September 7^th by Former Czech Ambassador to the United States, Michael Žantovský.    He is the author of the definitive biography of his friend Vaclav Havel and Chairman of the Vaclav Havel Library and joining Michael will be Dick Spring Former Labour Party leader, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

On the night of 9th November 1989, East German border police opened the gates at crossing points in the Berlin Wall, allowing masses to stream through them unhindered. This triggered a night of unbridled celebrations as people crossed freely back and forth through the Cold War barrier. The “Fall of the Berlin Wall” marked an iconic staging post after months of protest against society controlling single-party regimes in other eastern European countries. In the weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Republic took place from 17 November – 29 December 1989. Popular demonstrations resulted in the end of 41 years of Czechoslovakian one-party rule and the subsequent dismantling of the planned economy and a peaceful conversation to a parliamentary republic.

Now thirty years later the Kennedy Summer School looks back at these iconic events and their impact on European politics, the European Union and the United States’ relationship with Europe.

The annual Kennedy Summer School is set to host a number of expert discussions and is billed as ‘A Festival of Irish and American, History, Politics and Culture’. There will be over 50 guest speakers participating over three days on a wide range of different subjects and organisers say that Brexit and Ireland’s relationship with the U.S. will feature prominently.

The Summer School is set to take place in New Ross, Co. Wexford this September 5^7h to 7^th 2019 and is run in association with the John F. Kennedy Trust New Ross and with Wexford County Council. For further details and tickets see kennedysummerschool.ie or call St. Michael’s Theatre on 051 421255