The institutional event, part of the 'Year of Irla', recalled the president's political career and his contribution to keeping Catalan institutions alive during exile, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of his birth. Irla chaired the Parliament in 1938 and the Generalitat in exile until 1954.
The Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler, highlighted Irla's commitment to democracy and self-government, describing him as an "honest, modest, and simple" president. Espadaler concluded that remembering Irla serves as a reminder of "never again without democracy, never again without self-government, and never again without freedoms".
For his part, the President of the Parliament, Josep Rull, emphasized the "continuity of institutions and Catalan political culture" as a common thread for the Year of Irla and the Millenary of the Assemblies of Peace and Truce. Rull advocated for the "perseverance of a country that does not yield" and stressed that institutions lose their strength "when we give up defending them".
The event included participation from the commissioner of the Year of Irla, Jordi Gaitx Moltó, and the spokesperson for the Irla Foundation, Raül Romeva. The historical context was further explored through a roundtable discussion with specialists including Maximiliano Fuentes, Josep M. Roig Rosich, and Mercè Morales Montoya.
The event featured a musical performance by the Principal de la Bisbal, presenting pieces such as 'Juny' by Juli Garreta and 'El testament d’Amèlia'.
The Year of Irla, extending into early 2027, encompasses over thirty activities across Catalonia, with a particular focus on the Girona region. The program includes an itinerant exhibition, study days, conferences, urban itineraries, and educational activities. It will also have an international dimension with events in Paris and Northern Catalonia, and the re-musealization of the Casa Irla. The commemoration will conclude in February 2027 with a closing institutional ceremony.
Josep Irla (Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 1876 - Saint-Raphaël, France, 1958) served as a councilor and mayor of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, a provincial deputy, and a member of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya. After the Civil War, he assumed the presidency of the Generalitat in exile, upholding the defense of republican legality and self-government until handing over to Josep Tarradellas in 1954. His remains were transferred to Catalonia in 1981.
