Africa Day was marked yesterday by a series of cultural events funded by Irish Aid, the State's overseas development programme.
Events for the day, which has been designated by the African Union to celebrate the continent's diversity, included the Irish premiere of Malian film Bamako at the Irish Film Institute and a reading by Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah at the Irish Writers' Centre.
Shortly before travelling to the general election count centre, Minister of State for Development Co-operation and Human Rights Conor Lenihan hosted a reception for members of the African diplomatic corps and community.
"The darkest thing about Africa is our continued ignorance of it," he said. "Historically, Ireland has always been aware of its responsibility to Africa but maybe less so of the opportunities that exist for cultural, political and economic exchange. Africa Day affords us the chance to encourage Irish people to examine the potential that exists in Africa and the vibrancy of its cultures."
Mr Lenihan added: "Many of our citizens are African born. We cannot fully appreciate the wealth of talent and entrepreneurship these new citizens can bring to Ireland if we are unaware of the proud history and traditions from whence they come."
NUI Galway is hosting a conference today on the subject of Africa and peacekeepers, which has been organised by the Irish Centre for Human Rights in conjunction with Amnesty International.
Up to 50,000 people from Africa live in Ireland.