WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The Northern Ireland Administration is announcing Rediscover Northern Ireland , a program of events taking place in Washington D.C. between March and July this year. It is an opportunity to see, feel and discover the new Northern Ireland and the best it has to offer for American business, science and academia. It is also an opportunity to enjoy Northern Ireland's rich culture, food and entertainment. Rediscover Northern Ireland seeks to raise U.S. awareness of the region's thriving economy, revitalized cities, unique culture, and its people's sense of pride and passion for life.

Launching at the Northern Ireland Bureau's St. Patrick's Day event on March 15, 2007, Rediscover Northern Ireland includes more than 40 cultural events highlighting the region's trade and business, arts and culture, tourism, and education. The program is anchored by Northern Ireland's participation in the 2007 Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Festival from June 27 to July 8, 2007 on the National Mall, during which approximately 160 of Northern Ireland's finest musicians, storytellers, cooks, craftspeople, entrepreneurs, sports persons and cultural experts will share with a million festival visitors the living traditions that make and sustain the cultural life of Northern Ireland. Major events include the following:

• A concert by world renowned composer and pianist Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland at the Library of Congress on March 23, 2007.
• A poetry reading at the National Geographic Society on April 18, 2007, featuring Nobel Prize recipient Seamus Heaney and other notable poets from Northern Ireland, including Ciaran Carson, Medbh McGuckian, Paul Muldoon and Michael Longley.
• "Resolutions: New Art from Northern Ireland," a contemporary visual arts exhibition, at American University's Katzen Arts Center from April 22, 2007 to July 29, 2007.
• A joint Northern Ireland-Washington DC community mural project located in Anacostia from May 5-20, 2007.
• A showcase of Northern Ireland's cuisine and finest chefs at Restaurant Eve on May 22, 2007.
• A Titanic exhibition at Union Station opening June 25, 2007, highlighting Northern Ireland's innovation and industrial heritage, and its role in developing the modern, vibrant city of Belfast.

To learn more about the Rediscover Northern Ireland program, visit http://www.rediscoverni.com .

SOURCE Northern Ireland Administration