Kai Wagner | Former Head of Administration (2014-2019)

My first memory of the Goethe-Institut at Merrion Square goes back to my student days in UCD in 2006/2007, researching cultural institutions in Dublin. My future colleagues (if I had known…) invited me to the office and supplied me with plenty of information. I remember the ‘old’ institute as a very elegant building (in my opinion Georgian buildings breath timeless elegance and that particular sense of grandeur, yet without the pomp and gaudiness).

Fast forward to 2014, I start my first day at the Goethe-Institut Irland in my new role as Head of Administration - in yet another grand Georgian building, the language department’s home at Fitzwilliam Square. There, staff and services of the Merrion Square building found refuge during the comprehensive building project which would come to terms in September 2018, celebrating the return to Merrion Square with the grand opening of the ‘new’ institute.

During the building project, there were thankfully various occasions that helped to keep up our motivation and endurance: I kindly remember our house cooling party with Emmet Condon and Zehr Gut before handing over the keys to the builders, the rediscovery of those fantastic hidden wall paintings in the library or the topping-out ceremony once the roof was completed (that’s a big thing in Germany, so obviously we organised a party for our guests, of course in full PPE – health and safety always applies!). In addition to that, seeing the courtyard turning into an urban garden and sipping that first cup of coffee brewed by Camerino Bakery allowed for those zen moments in between.

Working on such a vast and complex building project was certainly challenging at times. This seems hardly as a surprise, considering that the works encompassed the full head-to-toe renovation of the existing Georgian building to the highest conservation standards. In addition to that, the construction of the new and stunningly modern language department introduced us to the latest technological building management applications (among others for the purpose of reducing energy consumption).

Best wishes to the Goethe-Institut Irland and its team, may you continue your fantastic work in such a wonderful location for many more years to come!