A year-long programme of events, known as the "Any Josep Irla" (Year of Josep Irla), will honour the former president of the Catalan government in exile, Josep Irla, across Catalonia and internationally. The initiative, starting in March 2026, aims to highlight Irla's legacy and the continuity of Catalan institutions during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent Francoist dictatorship, according to officials in Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
The commemoration will feature institutional acts, academic conferences, decentralised activities, exhibitions, and publications. These events are designed to place Irla's figure within the broader context of Catalonia's democratic memory.
Key Institutional Events Planned
The programme will open with an inaugural act at the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona on 10 March 2026. This central event will include institutional representation, framing Irla's role within the country's democratic memory. Sant Feliu de Guíxols will host an annual Second Republic act on 14 April 2026, which will include a symbolic donation of a sculpture to the Irla Foundation, honouring both Irla and Francesc Campà.
An international commemoration is planned for Paris in September 2026, focusing on Irla and the institutional continuity during exile. This event will feature an offering, speeches, and academic activities for the Catalan community abroad. On Catalonia's National Day, 11 September 2026, an institutional act will take place at the Sant Feliu de Guíxols cemetery to remember and honour Irla. The Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona will hold an institutional session on 1 October 2026, paying tribute to Irla as a former president of the Parliament during a critical period in the country's history. The Year of Irla will conclude on 6 February 2027, with a closing act in El Voló, France, focusing on the dimension of exile and Irla's role in maintaining institutional continuity.
Conferences and Study Days
Academic engagement forms a significant part of the programme. A foundational conference, "Irla, Republic and Country," will be held in Girona on 6 May 2026, exploring Irla's political thought and institutional career. Barcelona will host a study day on 20 May 2026, titled "Irla and 20th Century Catalan Republicanism," to analyse the political, institutional, and exile context of the period. Further conferences include "Irla and the Fight Against Fascism" in Girona on 15 July 2026, examining his role in defending democracy during the Civil War, and a discussion in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in July 2026 on the origins of local research into Irla.
The Universitat Catalana d'Estiu in Prada will dedicate its Víctor Torres Lecture to Irla on 20 August 2026. A pedagogical activity for secondary school students, "Irla, Democracy Against Dictatorships," is scheduled for September-October 2026 in Girona, aiming to transmit democratic values. Sant Feliu de Guíxols will host a conference in January 2027, "The Origins of the Guíxols Politician," analysing Irla's early career from local to institutional politics.
Decentralised Activities and Exhibitions
Territorial cycles will extend the commemoration across Catalonia. The Penedès and Camp de Tarragona regions will host a series of decentralised conferences, "Irla and Republicanism in Catalonia," from May to December 2026, looking at political and territorial networks. Similar cycles are planned for the Alt Pirineu i Aran and Lleida regions in autumn 2026, exploring republicanism from a decentralised perspective and Irla's connections with local republican leaders. Specific conferences include "Irla and Tarradellas" in Poblet on 16 October 2026, comparing these two key republican figures, and "Irla and Emili Vigo" in La Bisbal d'Empordà in October 2026, studying their political and personal relationships.
An itinerant exhibition, "Josep Irla: From Grassroots to Institutional Republicanism," will travel across the territory in June-July 2026, detailing Irla's political career and exile. The Casa Irla in Sant Feliu de Guíxols will undergo museographic renovation, with new pedagogical and accessible content, opening on 1 November 2026. The National Archive of Catalonia will feature a small-format exhibition in January 2027, based on original documents about Irla's institutional career. A dedicated website and digital resource portal for the Year of Irla will launch in summer 2026, offering informative content, documentation, and educational resources online.
Publications will also contribute to the year's objectives. A dossier on Josep Irla will appear in Sàpiens magazine in September 2026, making his figure accessible to a wider public. A new biography of Josep Irla is expected on 1 December 2026, providing an updated synthesis of knowledge about his life. The Democratic Memorial Book, due in 2027, will compile the scientific contributions generated during the Year of Irla.
Educational and participatory activities include a reading club, "Reading Irla," in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in autumn 2026, for debate and reading about republicanism and Irla. La Bisbal d'Empordà will host a public reading of Irla's texts with students in October 2026. An urban itinerary, "Josep Irla's Footprint in Sant Feliu," will offer a guided tour of places linked to his life and politics on 12 September 2026. Cultural events include a cross-border concert, "Irla and the Land of Exile," in Ceret in September 2026, linking music and the memory of exile, and a Christmas event at the Generalitat Delegation in Girona in late 2026, featuring music and literature related to exile and Catalan culture. A gastronomic activity, "Irla's Table," in Sant Feliu de Guíxols in November 2026, will explore the popular and daily dimensions of republicanism.
