Event type: Comedy

In 2021, Liverpool Irish Festival began our custodianship of the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail.

We formed a volunteer History Research Group (who’ve since undertaken c.1,500 hours of research) and released a book: Liverpool Irish Famine Trail: Revive (available in the Museum’s gift shop or online).

Having trained the group in tour creation and management – and thoroughly researching the objects on display – the History Research Group will lead a tour of the Museum of Liverpool’s Irish objects, revisitng the tours they led during #LIF2023.

Visitors will also take in the Pilotage Building, just outside the Museum.  Tours are anticipated to take approximately 45-60mins, depending on audience questions. These activities have been made possible with funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Visitors can undertake the Irish objects tour as a self-guided trail, which requires no booking (see guide map). Paper maps can be collected (for free) from leaflet holders at the Museum.

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The tour leaves the Museum of Liverpool’s atrium at 3.00pm on Thurs 1 Feb 2024, in honour of St Brigid. People who hope to join should meet under the Atrium’s big screen. The tour will operate on a first-come first-served basis, so please arrive promptly.

Made possible with funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund logo.

Irish nationalism in Liverpool, 1912-1922.
The actions of Irish nationalists in Britain are often characterised as a ‘sideshow’ to the revolutionary events in Ireland, between 1912 and 1922. This original study argues, conversely, that Irish nationalism in Britain was integral to contemporary Irish and British assessments of the Irish Revolution, between the Third Home Rule Bill and The Anglo-Irish Treaty.

In this centenary lecture, Dr. Darragh Gannon charts the development of Irish nationalism across the Irish Sea -over the course of a historic decade in United Kingdom history– from constitutional crisis, to war and revolution.

Taking Liverpool as its focus, this lecture documents successive Home Rule and IRA campaigns, coordinated by John Redmond and Michael Collins respectively, and examines the mobilisation of Irish migrant communities in Britain in response to major political crises, from the Ulster crisis to the First World War. The Irish Revolution, this study concludes, was defined by political conflicts, and cultures, across the Irish Sea.

Dr Darragh Gannon is Head of Irish Studies at University College Dublin.

Event meeting information will be sent to bookers ahead of the event. Please note: This event was programmed after our leaflets went to print, hence the omission there. This is a legitimate Festival event and will take place as posted here.

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This event was streamed to YouTube and can be seen below. Additionally, Darragh shared his PowerPoint presentation, which can be downloaded here.

 

Black History Month 2023 is here to inspire, reflect, and celebrate!

Throughout October, Liverpool will explore the contributions made to society by people of Black heritage and their communities.This work is led, primarily, by Writing on the Wall. Over recet years, Liverpool Irish Festival has worked with Writing on the Wall -and many other Merseyside organisations- to develop an arts and culture sector Race Equality Manifesto. Our celebration of Black History Month is part of this ongoing work.

25% of people born on the island of Ireland are mixed-race. Race is as important to Ireland and Irish people as it is to America or Britain, Africa or the Caribbean.

Writing on the Wall’s (WoW) Black history programme will bring to the fore discussions that enhance awareness, through research and education, and continue the fight for true equality.

Explore the current events listed and keep an eye on our website and socials for more inspiring events!

Letters to Gil with Malik Al Nasir 
Discover the incredible journey of author, poet, and academic Malik Al Nasir as he unveils his powerful memoir, Letters to Gil. 

When: 4 October, 12.30pm  
Where: The Bluecoat, The Sandon Room, 8 School Ln, Liverpool L1 3BX 
Ticket price: £3 
Get tickets.

In conversation with Arun Kundnani
Join WoW online, for an in-conversation, with Arun Kundnani on his new book What is Antiracism and why it means Anticapitalism? 

When: 10 October, 7pm
Where: Online
Ticket price: £3 concession
Get tickets.

Great War to Race Riots walking tour
The highly popular 1919 Race Riots walking tour returns for Black History Month, exploring the murder of Charles Wotton and the social and political backdrop of these tragic events.

When: 14 October, 12pm
Where: Tour starts from the Chinese Arch on the Corner of Nelson Street and Berry Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 5DN
Ticket price:  £10
Get tickets.

In Conversation With Professor Gus John
Writing on the Wall and Kuumba Imana Millenium Centre are proud to welcome Professor Gus John back to Liverpool, for a free event, to discuss his latest publications Blazing Trails and Don’t Salvage the Empire Windrush. He’ll speak with Dr Ama Biney, who’s taught Black British history and African and Caribbean history for over 25 years in the community, Further Education and Higher Education Sectors.

When: 17 October, 7pm
Where: The Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre
Ticket Price: FREE
Get tickets.

Deported in a Windrush, by Leonisha Barley
Join us for this FREE event as Leonisha Barley brings you a rehearsed reading and feedback session of her debut play Deported in a Windrush.

Deported in a Windrush is a play, based on the book The Windrush Betrayal, exposing the ‘hostile environment’ by Amelia Gentleman. The book reveals how the government’s immigration policy created a hostile environment for thousands of law-abiding people, when they were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants.

When: 19 October, 7pm
Where: Toxteth Library 
Ticket price: FREE
Get tickets.

Remembering Pastor Daniels Ekarte
Join friends of WoW, Stephen Small, Tayo Aluko and author Marika Sherwood as we explore Pastor Daniels’s life in Liverpool and the history of the city’s Black community.

When: 26 October, 7pm
Where: Toxteth Library 
Ticket price: £4
Get tickets.

Dorothy Kuya walking tour
Come along for this rare opportunity to learn more about Black British history and lifelong activist Dorothy Kuya (1933-2013).

When: 28 October, 12pm
Where: The Blackburne Arms Pub, 24 Catharine St, Liverpool L8 7NL
Ticket price:  £10
Get tickets.

Over the years, Liverpool Irish Festival has amassed something of an archive of books and papers, journals and materials.

Though we weren’t been able to share it during the Covid years, we’re back to showcasing the archive in the fully accessible and friendly drop-in space at Everyman Street Café. There’ll be colouring sheets for the kids; fiction for light reads and some historic tomes for a deeper interrogation of identity. By no means a full library, this is a resource for anyone to dip in and out of, to while away a half-term afternoon or a bit of time over lunch.

It’s also a great space to pick up a Festival newspaper, a copy of Brave Maeve or The Liver Birds for a loved one and enjoy a brew.

This is a low-carbon and efficient way for people to road test, borrow, learn and share resources. All our paper products are responsibly sourced and even our in-house printing now uses recycled stock, in line with our Shift Liverpool membership and carbon literacy promises.

For those people who are interested in environmentalism and Liverpool’s green energy commitments, you may be interested in Shift Liverpool’s Arts Green Book Day, also being held at Everyman. To register for that event, click here.

We’d like to acknowledge that Still Out Of Print (282 Smithdown Rd, Liverpool L15 5AJ [map]; next to Purple Carrott) has a display of antiquarian and second-hand Irish books on, for the duration of the Festival. Get over there and have a look if you can.

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Meet the Festival team and our #LIF2023 artists.

Hear about the programme and meet with friends. The Centre, the heart of the Irish community in Liverpool, provides a convivial space in which to toast ‘sláinte’ (health) to all those who join us, have helped us, and will be with us for Festivals ahead. Book ahead to ensure you have the best seats and to claim your arrival refreshment!

Speeches will take place at around 6.45pm.

We’re thrilled to announce that The Irish World are our media partners for this event and that we will be welcoming a musical group from Melody Makers to play.

This event is free and takes place in the Heritage Room and bar. The London Lasses event, which follows, is ticketed. It is not part of the launch. People who wish to attend this, should book for both.

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The Cultural Connectedness Exchange Network links Irish creatives with people who commission Irish work.

This practice day brings independent creatives and programmers together.

Day long agenda:
09:30 Registration opens
10:00 Networking and intros
11:00 Pam Sullivan – making resonant work in communities
12:00 Stu Harrison – Joy in development
12:45 Lunch
13:30 Curating programmes – themes, morals and missions – Mick Hannigan, IndieCork
14:30 Where are we with representation? #IAmIrish?
15:30 Put it all together
16:00 End.
Artist led activities and talks will be held in The Bluecoat’s Garden Room and participants will be provided with lunch.

?️ If you have any dietary requirements please email emma@liverpoolirishfestival.com ?️

Read more about the background and purpose of the Network.

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This event has received support from the Irish Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs Emigrant Support Programme.

Further reading:

Learn more about the #CCEN, here.

In 2020 Gael Linn and An tUltach partnered with the Liverpool Irish Festival to create a one-off creative commission to celebrate Irish language and folklore.

Selected for this commission, was storyteller and artist Nuala Monaghan.

The resulting work tells five key stories from Irish myth and legend, each with an artwork to help communicate the power of the story. Shown first at The Reader in Calderstones Park, we used the exhibition to connect Liverpool with Ireland through thousands of years of use and symbolism, this exhibit helps to reveal the connections folklore continues to have on our modern world. Now on display with St Helens Libraries, we hope to spread the connection in to the region.

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Available during Library opening hours across the Festival and throughout Nov, St Helen’s Library at Heart of Glass. Free, just turn up.

This exhibition was co-commissioned with Gael Linn and An tUltach. Gael Linn is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. An tUltach is Ireland’s oldest Irish language literary magazine, established in 1924.

This event is held in partnership with St Helens Libraries, who have received funded support from Arts Council England.

Further reading

Read Nuala’s article on being a story teller.

Follow Brave Maeve as she adventures through enchanted places, encountering characters from Irish myth and legend.

The book was written and illustrated by Stuart Harrison, in Liverpool, featuring his friend’s daughter. Celebrating characters from thousands of years of Irish and Liverpudlian folklore, Brave Maeve is an energetic romp through time and tale.

Stu will be on hand to chat about his book and give kids a chance to pose with an illustrated Brave Maeve, sword, Tir Na nÓg book and/or púca at

the Liverpool Irish Festival launch (Liverpool Irish Centre, 19 Oct)
the Family Day at Museum of Liverpool (21 Oct)
a writer’s reading of Brave Maeve at The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
and our Samhain Céilí at the Liverpool Irish Centre (29 Oct).

We’ll be giving away copies of the book at the Family Day and Samhain Céilí with a few available at the Irish Centre across the Festival (19-29 Oct 2023). Afterwards, any remaining copies will be available to buy for £4.99 + P&P from our online shop liverpoolirishfestival.com/shop or on Kindle.

This children’s story was commissioned by Liverpool Irish Festival, in partnership with Gael Linn and An tUltach.

Collect your copy -during opening hours- across the Festival from Liverpool Irish Centre.

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It’s a 100-years since Irish playwright Brendan Behan was born.

From humble Dublin origins, Behan became one of the great twentieth century writers. His work includes Borstal Boy, The Quare Fellow and The Hostage.

Behan’s story transcends his bohemian reputation as a hard-drinking, hard-living Irishman who died -prematurely- aged 41. The universal themes he wrote about remain relevant today. Justice and reform; the power of “outsiders” to catalyse societal change and relationships.

Maintaining the ground-breaking grit, realism and dark humour that features in his writing, Brendan: Son of Dublin is presented by Fat Dan Productions. This freshly told new musical-drama is semi-staged with live music. Premiering in the north as part of #LIF2023, the production is supported by the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies.

Writers: John Merrigan and Danielle Merrigan. Director/visual artist: Pamela Howard. Musical Director: Brian Hughes.

Image credit: Pamela Howard.

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Over the last couple of years, Liverpool Irish Festival has been working on revitalising the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail, which includes the Irish Famine Memorial.

Today, the Liverpool Great Hunger Commemoration Committee, Conradh Na Gaeilge Learpholl and Liverpool Irish Centre, in partnership with the Festival, lead a Famine Memorial Service to mark 175-years since the start of the seven-years of Famine in Ireland, lasting 1847-1852. There will be speeches, readings and music at the memorial ground. Úna Quinn and Neil Campbell will perform a specially commissioned song.

Everyone is welcome. However, we would note that this is an outside event and we may have difficulties with sound if it is rainy or windy. We recommend dressing for the weather and bringing seats or walking aids as required. This is a standing service of roughly 30-minutes. People may gather in advance of the service.

These activities have been made possible with funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Following the event, release their song Those Roads, which can be found on Bandcamp, here. Please show them your support by purchasing the song.

Additionally, for those interested in the Johnny McEvoy poem, read by Tomás Ryan (Conradh Na Gaeilge), you can read it below in English and Gaeilge. You can also hear the original song version, below the poem.

The Famine [Song] Story
In the year of ‘47
I saw an end to what had been
Saw my neighbours, friends and
family
Fade before me like a dream
Now the land is cold and blighted
Now the crop has failed again
There’s no food upon the table
Fear lives in the hearts of men
There’s a cloud upon the mountain
And the rain is falling free
There’s a shadow in the valley
Where my cabin used to be
All my comrades they have fallen
By the roadside they have died
In the fields and in the hedgerows
Their hungry bones lie side by side
On this ship I cross the ocean
Sailing on the raging foam
To the land of my tomorrow
Far from my native home
Scéal an Gorta Mór
Sa bhliain ocht déag seacht is a daichead
Chonaic mé deireadh lena raibh
Chonaic mé mo chomharsana, cairde ‘s mo
theaghlach
Ag fail bás romham mar tromluí
Tá an talamh fuar agus scriosta
Teip ar an barr arís
Níl aon bia ar an dtábla
Maireann faitíos I gcroí na bhfear
Tá scamall ar an sliabh
Agus an báisteach ag titim go trom
Tá scáth I lár an ghleanna
Áit a mbíodh mo chábhán
Ar slí na fírinne tá mo ghaolta
Ar thaobh an bhóthair, fuair said bás
Sna páirceanna ‘s na sceacha
Luíonn a gcnámha ocrach taobh le taobh
Ar an long seo trasnaím an t-aigéan
Ag seóltóireacht thar an cúr feargach
Go dtí tír de mo amárach
I bhfad ó mo theaghlach
We’d like to thank Tomás for his translation and reading, which was moving, poigniant and well delivered, in the gardens of St Luke’s Chirch, beside the Liverpool Irish Famine Memorial stones.