The Irish government is investing over $5 million to bring its arts to the United States. The major yearlong initiative will feature 2,000 artists and 400 events.

Irish officials say every art form will be represented in the 40-city “Imagine Ireland” project: theater, dance, literature, music, film and visual arts.

Highlights include a 5-month exhibition and performances at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Gerald Barry’s opera, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” will have a world premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The project involves dozens of U.S. partners. They include the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Emory University in Atlanta, the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, and the Shakespeare Theater in Chicago.