On March 18th 2017 the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland celebrated 'Multi-Cultural Day 2017' in solidarity with all those who support 'International Week Against Racism'.
There was an early atmosphere of trepidation amongst workers on the day, in fear that the weather might deter visitors, however that atmosphere soon turned to one of excitement and celebration.
The crowds came from near and far to join us on this special annual event and they were not disappointed. The children got their faces painted in a range of designs and colours, the older girls got henna art spiralled onto their hands in a range of exotic designs, and candyfloss, ice-cream, plus popcorn was enjoyed by all. The bazaar proved fruitful with a wide range of products for sale at very reasonable prices, including: a range of honey's, hijabs, cultural foods from diverse cuisine tastes, perfumes and incense, and much, much, more.
The BBQ run by the Golden Olive restaurant was as per usual a great hit with our visitors, and the restaurant food was enjoyed equally.
Balloon modellers kept the children buzzing with excitement, and the storyteller enthralled the children with her tales and fables.
An Garda Siochana very appreciatively partook in our day with several members attending on bicycles, a Garda car, and horse mounted, wonderful photo opportunities, and great work with our community and the children attending the event.
The Annual Football Tournament was won by South Dublin Team, with Belfast Team competetive runners up, goal of the tournament went to Ayman Sarwali, and player of the tournament was Hasan Bn'Abdi.
The table tennis for men was won by Abubakr Idriss, with Ahmed Abdellatif a close runner up, third place went to Br Perry.
Table Tennis for girls was won by Lenah Ayoub, with Yasmine Sherif awarded runner up.
Special recognition awards for their achievements in National Level Champion Karate Tournament went to : Yacine Ghanem, Amine Ghanem, Nadir Ghanem, Yasser Cherif, and Anes Chaal.
Sheikh Hussein Halawa was the Presenter of the awards on the day and he shared in many of the celebrations that followed.
Our thanks to all our participants who contributed to the success of the event, a special thanks to An Garda Siochana from Donnybrook, and further special thanks to Cathaoirleach Cormac Devlin from Dun Laoighaire Rathdown who celebrated with us.
We are looking forward to next years event already.
