St. Patrick’s Day is undoubtedly one of the most popular festivities celebrated internationally. This year, for the first time, the joyful atmosphere also reached Bydgoszcz. Various events and attractions were prepared especially for Bydgoszcz St. Patrick’s Days, which were held on 18-19 March 2016. The event was combined with the visit of a group of Irish candidates for the Medical Program in English at Collegium Medicum.
St. Patrick’s Day is undoubtedly one of the most popular festivities celebrated internationally. This year, for the first time, the joyful atmosphere also reached Bydgoszcz. Various events and attractions were prepared especially for Bydgoszcz St. Patrick’s Days, which were held on 18-19 March 2016 in the Old Market Square and other locations around the city.
The event was combined with the visit of a group of Irish candidates for the Medical Program in English at Collegium Medicum. The main organiser was Medical Poland, one of our student recruitment agencies based in Dublin. The celebrations were co-organised by Collegium Medicum, ByLOT and the city of Bydgoszcz.
The Irish guests received a warm welcome from prof. Arkadiusz Jawień, head of the Centre for Medical Education in English, the Centre’s Office staff, as well as our Irish students of the first year of the Medical Program in English. During the meeting, the candidates had an opportunity to find out more about our university and our offer, as well as student life in Bydgoszcz. The visitors were shown around our modern Student’s House No. 3 and several departments of one of our University Hospitals.
Saturday’s celebrations began with a Holy Mass in English at the Cathedral of St. Martin and St. Nicolas, one of the finest historic sanctuaries in Bydgoszcz. During the service, an excellent performance was given by the choir of the Arthur Rubinstein State Music Schools in Bydgoszcz, prepared in cooperation with the Department of Music Therapy at Collegium Medicum.
The guests were invited to the Old Market Square, where they were greeted by Rafał Bruski, the President of Bydgoszcz, and James Kilcourse, the consul at the Embassy of Ireland. An opening show was given by Żuki, a well-known rock’n’roll band from Bydgoszcz, after which the guests were invited to take a ride on a double-decker through the streets of the Old Town. The short journey ended at the Mercure Bydgoszcz Sepia hotel, where the visitors were entertained by the Song and Dance Ensemble Ziemia Bydgoska, a folk group promoting the culture of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region. We believe that all our guests had a wonderful stay in the welcoming city of Bydgoszcz!