Emerge days

Emerge days: when student societies bring Europe to life at UBSTo mark EMERGE Days 2026, Université Bretagne Sud has placed student societies at the heart of two key events in Lorient and Vannes, building bridges between Breton and Irish cultures and bringing cooperation within the EMERGE Alliance to life in a tangible way.

Lorient – 10 September: sport as a bridge between UBS and Limerick

On 10 September, in Lorient an evening was dedicated to discovering Gaelic football, the result of a unique partnership between UBS, the University of Limerick, the local club Lorient GAC and the Lycée St Joseph La Salle Lorient.

Three students from the UL GAA Club, the University of Limerick’s sports association, have been invited by UBS to share their passion and experience with students, UBS staff and players from Lorient GAC. They stand below with Victor one of UBS EMERGE’ ambassador.

Following an introductory session open to everyone, a friendly introductory match involved nearly 60 participants.

Beyond the sporting aspect, this event provided a genuine opportunity for Irish students, UBS students and staff, members of the local club and local residents to come together and interact.

At half-time, the UBS student society Univ’Danse put on a hip-hop dance performance, which also provided a great opportunity to introduce the society to the students in attendance and invite them to take part in its activities.

This event, organised by the EMERGE team, UBS Sports Department and partner associations, is a concrete example of one of the Alliance’s objectives: to encourage cooperation between European student associations and, in the long term, to foster joint projects between their networks.

The event concluded on a convivial note, with drinks and a crêpe food truck, allowing discussions to continue in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Vannes – 17 September: Breton and Irish cultures in the spotlight

A week later, the EMERGE Days continued in Vannes, focusing on culture.

UBS student society Ma Bro Ma Breizh welcomed the UL Drama Society from the University of Limerick for an event blending Breton and Irish traditions. For an hour, students were able to discover different aspects of both cultures through a quiz combining music, history and legends.

This event was once again organised by the student societies, in close collaboration with the EMERGE team, enabling the students to take an active role in European cooperation themselves.

From the left : The three Irish students Hailey , Emma and Gwenna following by Glen, UBS EMERGE ambassador and the president of the association Ma Bro Ma Breizh.

Through its membership of a European university alliance – EMERGE – UBS is strengthening its international standing.