An event to celebrate the Chinese New Year was held at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) on Tuesday night.

At the event, visitors enjoyed the traditional Chinese music and dance performances held inside the teaching building of Confucius Institute, as well as a lantern and fire flame show outside the building.

Nearly a dozen food stalls were set up outside to give visitors a taste of authentic Chinese food as well as other Asian food.

Organizers also held an award ceremony for the winners of the 2021 Chinese Language and Culture Competition, a contest open to all primary and secondary school students in Dublin.

Chinese Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong and UCD President Andrew J. Deeks attended the award ceremony and handed over prizes to the top winners of the competition.

Noting this is the first offline event held by the UCD Confucius Institute in celebration of the Chinese New Year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ireland in early 2020, the institute's director Liming Wang said the event received a warm response from local residents, demonstrating their strong interest in Chinese culture.

Since its establishment in 2006, the UCD Confucius Institute has offered different courses to thousands of local Chinese language and culture lovers in Ireland.