She’s taken on an amazing adventure, through Irish folklore, when something is stolen from her Grandad Mac by a pesky púca.
A richly illustrated book, it will be voiced by author and artist Stu Harrison. Witty, energetic and designed for kids aged 7-11, this is a fun afternoon event to spend with your child or grandchild. We’ll also have colouring sheets available.
Stu will bring some of his illustrated cut outs, so kids can pose with a sword, Brave Maeve and púca. Bring your cameras! Book copies will be available to buy (£4.99) and have signed.
Completely informal opportunity to come a long for a tune at PK’s.
The second seisiún of two in the Festival, the other takes place here the Fri prior (20 Oct 2023).
Bring an instrument, your voice and a will to play along. There’ll be Festival friends to help bring the gang together, whilst a fully stocked bar -in one of the most historic and quirkiest pubs in Liverpool- eases you towards the dawn. This event gets busy quickly and sometimes it is ‘standing room only’, so be prepared to ‘hotch up’ and swap places so everyone can get a piece of the action.
From the Irish State’s foundation (1922), until 1998, Mother and Baby and County Homes existed across Ireland.
Background
Institutions -designed to accommodate single mothers, pregnant women or those risking destitution- became places of neglect, degradation, suffering and loneliness. Significantly, rates of infant mortality outstripped those of the wider population.
Following the discovery of the remains of 796 children, illegally buried on the site of the Bonn Secours Home in Tuam (County Galway) -and campaigns from former residents of the homes- a Commission of Investigation was established by the Irish Government. This was followed by the enactment of several pieces of legislation, aimed at responding to former residents’ experiences.
Redress
It’s believed 38,000 people will be eligible to access these schemes. Additionally, it’s estimated 40% of these live in Britain.
With today’s legislation in place, what effects are the systems having?
What were the experiences of former residents and how are they being addressed?
Where can people access the schemes or gain help to access them?
During our online event, Fréa will explore former resident experiences and share the Government’s response. The event will help people understand how they access these systems and ways they can advocate for former residents.
The transcripts of the testimonials read at this event can be downloaded here.
Shirley
Castlepollard.
The event can be watched below:
Support service details provided in the chat:
Fréa (North of England)
Patrick Rodgers
Mob: 07432 138682
Email: patrick.rodgers@frea.org.uk
Ciarán Connolly
Mob: 07732901782
Email: ciaran.connolly@frea.org.uk
Natalie Hughes-Crean
Mob: 07849835841
Email: natalie.hughes-crean@frea.org.uk
For help and support if you live in different regions of Britain contact:
Survivor Service
London Irish Centre
Katie Doyle 07947111493
Séan Kaluarachchi
0800 519 5519
Coventry Irish Society Midlands
Irish Survivors Service
Rachel Nally
0247 625 6629
ICAP
ICAP is the only specialist British-based counselling and psychotherapy service supporting people from the Irish community facing a range of emotional issues,
including depression, anxiety and stress. Helpline: +44 (0) 207 272 7906. icap.org.uk
Connect Counselling
An anonymous professional telephone counselling service for survivors of
physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Freephone in the UK and Northern Ireland +44 (0) 800 477 477 77. connectcounselling.ie
The Samaritans
The Samaritans offer a non-judgmental listening service, whatever you are going through. Call free, 24/7 in the UK, on 116 123. samaritains.org
Sexual Violence Support (North West)
A service to help locate the relevant support services for those who have suffered sexual violence across the North West. 0800500222 sexualviolencesupport.co.uk
The Survivors Trust
The Survivors Trust has 120 member organisations based in the UK and Ireland which provide specialist support for women, men & children who have survived rape, sexual violence or childhood sexual abuse
08088 010818 thesurvivorstrust.org
Tuam Home Survivors Network
Survivors helping survivors. tuamhomesurvivors.com
info@tuamhomesurvivors.com
We Are Survivors
Welcome to We Are Survivors, a survivor focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male (including trans and non-binary individuals) survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation across Greater Manchester
0808 500 2222
Further information
Final report on the commission
Click here to visit the report pages.
Embassy notice
On 4 Sept 2023, Liverpool Irish Festival received a notification from the Embassy of Ireland about a consultation concerning the National Centre for Research and Remembrance. Consultation opened earlier in the year and will last until 15 Sept 2023. More information on the Centre, the steering committee and consultation can be found here.
Tuam Oral History project
In 2021, we held an In:Visible Women day, focussed on the Tuam Oral Hsitory Project. Recordings of the sessions can be seen, here.
Tony Crowley’s Liverpool: A Memoir of Words is a work of creative non-fiction.
It combines the study of language in Liverpool with social history, the history of the English language and personal memoir. A beautifully written book, it’s based on a lifetime’s academic research. Within its pages, it explores the relationship between language and memory, and demonstrates the ways in which words are enmeshed in history and history in words.
During this book launch, the author will discuss the influence of Ireland both on the language of Liverpool and on the story of language in Liverpool.
❤️?
This event is held in partnership with Central Library.
An example of Tony’s work and knowledge about Ireland.
The award-winning Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.
An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (in his green uniform) and Eddie from An Garda Síochána (resplendent in blue), communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of.
Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted, when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.
Green & Blue is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers.
The show will run on Thurs 26, Fri 27 and Sat 28 Oct 2023. Thurs 26 Oct is the Festival’s preview night.
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Critical praise
Winner of The Lustrum Award for Best Theatrical Moment at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe.
“ **** – profound and politically charged’, The Stage
Paula McFetridge’s bold yet delicate production teases out the humanity behind the uniforms, the trust and distrust. The terror and brutalities are palpable, but there are many moments of humour, and many more of understanding and empathy. Higgins and Doran, in strong, well-judged performances, communicate initially on crackly radios across the invisible Border in a field. Deirdre Falvey – Irish Times
This accounting of the reality of people’s experience has depth and intelligence, as well as a stark dramatic impact. Its understanding and insight provides a certain balm for this troubled subject. Katy Hayes – Irish Independent.
Tickets are bought through Hope Street Theatre’s TicketQuarter booking link.
Read Kabosh Theatre director Paula McFetridge’s Festival article about theatre for social change, here.
It had taken 25-years to get from the Sunngingdale Agreement to this peace settlement. The new accord was built on self-determinism and parity of esteem and would become known as The Good Friday Agreement. Signed between two governments and 8 political parties, how did this political behemoth affect those who had to live within its terms? What would the cultural memory and legacy of this defining document be?
Moya Cannon (Donegal poet), Stephen Sexton (poet, and lecturer (Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast)), Greg Quiery (Liverpool-based Belfastian poet and historian) and Melanie Lenehan (multidisciplinary artist, pusic producer, and singer-songwriter) share their experiences, through their art and recollections.
Location
Please note: this is a last minute change – Central Teaching Hub, University of Liverpool, Mount Pleasant Liverpool, L69 7ZP. For directions, incl information on parking on the University campus, please go to https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/maps/
❤️?
This is a partnership event with the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies and supported by the Consul General, Manchester.
This panel forms part of The Institute’s contribution to this year’s Liverpool Irish Festival, together with hosting NightVisiting on 20 Oct and Brendan – Son of Dublin on 28 Oct. For a full listing of events of the Liverpool Irish Festival, click here.
Speaker biographies
Moya Cannon
Moya Cannon’s Collected Poems (Carcanet Press, 2021) brings together poems from six previous books, Oar (1990), The Parchment Boat (1997), Carrying the Songs (1907), Hands (2011), Keats Lives (2015) and Donegal Tarantella (2019), more than three decades’ work, a poetry of individual poems which compose a memorable, unpredictable sequence of discovery.
She was born and grew up in Co. Donegal, Ireland, spent most of her adult life in Galway and now lives in Dublin.
In her poems, history, archaeology, pre-historic art, geology and music figure as gateways to deeper understanding of our mysterious relationship with the natural world and with our past.
She has been a recipient of the Brendan Behan Award and the O’Shaughnessy Award and was Heimbold Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Villanova. She is a member of Aosdána.
Michelle Lenehan
Michelle Lenehan is a multidisciplinary artist, writer-poet, musician, and workshop facilitator whose passion lies in delivering creative writing workshops that adeptly introduce marginalised groups to the power of storytelling, creative writing, and performance poetry utilising language to empower and inspire.
In March this year, Michelle was awarded the BE FREE Liverpool Arts & Creativity Community Impact Award, which recognises individuals who have made a positive impact on their community through arts and creativity.
Stephen Sexton
Stephen Sexton’s first book, If All the World and Love Were Young was the winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. He was awarded the E.M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2020. He was the winner of the National Poetry Competition in 2016 and the recipient of an Eric Gregory Award in 2018. Cheryl’s Destinies was published in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection. Both collections will be published by Wake Forest University Press in 2023. In 2023, he was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office to write a poem in acknowledgement of the 25th anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement. He teaches at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast.
Greg Quiery
Greg Quiery -a native of County Down- was a community worker in Belfast during the early years of the troubles before coming to Liverpool in the 1970s. In Liverpool, he’s been a youth worker, secondary school teacher, and Head of Liverpool’s Virtual School, the education service for children in care. His book In Hardship and Hope is a history of Liverpool’s Irish community. He was chair of the committee which erected the Memorial to the Irish Great Hunger in St Luke’s Gardens in 1998. Greg was active in Irish Studies during the early days of the Institute, teaching in Irish Studies at Continuing Education and serving as a Fellow of the Institute for some years. He’s a former board member of the Liverpool Irish Festival; active campaigner on environmental issues and plays Irish traditional music. Greg’s produced an album of his own comic songs and ballads in the Irish tradition, alongside two poetry books. Stray Dog Following, reflects his experiences in both Ireland and Liverpool, whilst Oglet, celebrates the wild environment which still survives close to Liverpool Airport.
Lyrical Agreement
Five years ago, The Institute of Irish Studies commissioned a video to mark the 20th anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement. Lyrical Agreement features some of the most meaningful excerpts of the Agreement, read out by people of all ages living in Northern Ireland, and can be viewed below.
John Joe Kelly is a master bodhrán player, involved in world music and the folk music scene, especially as a member of Flook.
This is a rare opportunity to get tuition from the man himself, in a relatively intimate setting.
Participants will need to bring their own bodhrán and tipper to play.
Advice on purchasing bodhrán can be found here: https://mcneelamusic.com/irish-bodhran-for-sale/ Another vendor is Hobgoblins: https://hobgoblin.com/percussion/bodhran John Joe encourages people not to go for a very expensive bodhrán to begin, but to try one out and get a feel for playing before investing in something expensive. Bodhrán are available on eBay and Amazon from as little as £25.
The 10am class is for complete beginners. Those with a little more skill should consider the intermediate to advanced class later in the day.
Please note: our leaflet labelled this session as an ‘intermediate’, rather than a ‘complete beginners’ session. It will be run as a complete beginners session. Anyone with more advanced skills should book on the 12.30pm event. We apologise for any confusion caused.
John Joe Kelly is a master bodhrán player, involved in world music and the folk music scene, especially as a member of Flook. This is a rare opportunity to get tuition from the man himself, in a relatively intimate setting.
Participants will need to bring their own bodhrán and tipper to play.
Advice on purchasing bodhrán can be found here: https://mcneelamusic.com/irish-bodhran-for-sale/ Another vendor is Hobgoblins: https://hobgoblin.com/percussion/bodhran John Joe encourages people not to go for a very expensive bodhrán to begin, but to try one out and get a feel for playing before investing in something expensive. Bodhrán are available on eBay and Amazon from as little as £25.
The 12.30pm class is for intermediate to advanced players. Those just starting out, should consider the complete beginners’ class earlier in the day.
The award-winning Green & Blue explores the painful and humorous realities faced by the individuals who patrolled the border during the height of the conflict.
An officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (in his green uniform) and Eddie from An Garda Síochána (resplendent in blue), communicate via crackly radios until an explosive incident forces them to meet across a field only farmers know the location of.
Focusing on what it’s like to be hunted, when you’re protecting a man-made line on the ground, the play looks at the societal and human cost of borders.
Green & Blue is based on real-life interviews with former serving officers.
Two showings:
4pm and 8pm, Wed 25 Oct, St Helens Library at Chester Lane Library (NOT World of Glass as originally stated).
4pm is a free community showing (including Q&A), by invitation + 20 community tickets. There is also a paid showing at 8pm: £8 general admission/£7 library card holders/£5 conc, book online.
??
Critical praise
Winner of The Lustrum Award for Best Theatrical Moment at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe.
“ **** – profound and politically charged’, The Stage
Paula McFetridge’s bold yet delicate production teases out the humanity behind the uniforms, the trust and distrust. The terror and brutalities are palpable, but there are many moments of humour, and many more of understanding and empathy. Higgins and Doran, in strong, well-judged performances, communicate initially on crackly radios across the invisible Border in a field. Deirdre Falvey – Irish Times
This accounting of the reality of people’s experience has depth and intelligence, as well as a stark dramatic impact. Its understanding and insight provides a certain balm for this troubled subject. Katy Hayes – Irish Independent.
Read Kabosh Theatre director Paula McFetridge’s Festival article about theatre for social change, here.
Marking 130 years since the publication of feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, Sue Rynhart’s melodrama takes to the stage.
Sue returns to the Festival having been awarded the BAN BAM Composition award and a residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris. Known for her unique voice and extraordinary blend of folk and contemporary jazz Sue is an award-winning musician who is not to be missed. Unique, quirky and emotive, viewers can’t help leaving wanting more.
Background
Marking 130 years since the publication of feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, Sue Rynhart’s melodrama takes the stage.
The Yellow Wallpaper (which can be read at this link) was a short, seminal Feminist work. Written in 1890s America, a convalescing woman takes readers on a journey to insanity. The insanity is caused -in part- by society’s need for her to rest rather than ‘do’ to treat her malaise (actually, most likely, undiagnosed post-natal depression). Stick with us…
Format
Sue’s melodrama responds to this in song, using personal experiences to outline how creativity enhanced her enjoyment of motherhood. Full of hope, promise and wonder, this first part of the evening will be beguiling, witty and tender.
After the interval, visitors will enjoy a Q&A with Sue and some informal, creative voice play (participation is not compulsory!)
Expectations
All About Jazz reviewed Sue’s work in 2017, noting “She’s only two albums in, but already Rynhart sounds like one of the most original emerging voices in the hazy world where folk, improvisation and contemporary song entwine.”
Unique, quirky and emotive – you can be assured of a night to remember. This will be an enchanting night and the setting will only serve to highlight Sue’s absolute skill as a performer, writer and musician.
Musicians featured: Sue Rynhart voice, Mike Nielsen guitar and Lina Andonovska on flute.
♀️❤️??
St Brigid’s programme
This event has been moved from Oct 2023 to 1 Feb 2024 (and from the Palm House to the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room). It will now feature as part of our St Brigid’s Day programme.
Booking information
The Festival has a limited number of tickets available via Eventbrite. Once these tickets are sold, you can buy your tickets from the Philharmonic’s box office, here.
Sue has worked with us previously, writing a song for the Festival’s partnership with the River Festival and performing. You can listen to her song, La Malouine, here.
suerynhart.com Listen to a short interview piece with Sue, here.
More on Sue’s piece, here.
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