Event type: Comedy

Join a live webinar to learn about some interesting historical characters from Liverpool’s Irish Diaspora.

With roughly 50% of Liverpool’s population having Irish ancestry, that’s quite a pool to draw from.

Using the XO Chronicles to learn about some fascinating Irish Liverpudlians and their connection with Ireland, we will also discuss the close relationship between Liverpool and Ireland and the connection has shaped our customs, cultures and languages, throughout history. The XO Chronicles are a free feature on the IrelandXO.com website. It works by enabling all people of Irish ancestry, both in Ireland and around the world, to add to the heritage of every Irish locality by recording what they know about our ancestors, the places they lived in and the events that shaped their lives.

Travel may be off the cards right now, but we can still connect our Global Irish Communities and learn about our shared ancestry, especially the special bond between Ireland and Liverpool. The Webinar will run for 30 minutes on Zoom.

This event was recorded. You can see the session below.

Can you help us support the Festival charity and its artists by making a gift?

Have you enjoyed something at the Festival that you think is worth a reward or the value of a standard event ticket? Every donation helps. In 2020, we have seen devastating losses across our income streams. In spite of this, we have done our best to develop a positive and exciting Festival with #LIF2020. Coronavirus has affected our ability to arrange and host events for four reasons:
• social distancing
• arts funding (we received 35% less arts funding in 2020 compared to 2019)
• sponsorship, advertising and ticket sales (we have lost 98% of this income compared with 2019) .
what we can expect from visitors at computers over 10 days.
Anything you can do to support us will help our work and benefit the charity (number 1100126) in to next year. We -the Festival Director and Board – thank you in advance for your kind donations.
URL to Paypal donation link.
Scan this QR code to take you to our donations page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

POSTPONED: We are sorry to say this event has had to be postponed, following new lockdrown restrictions and our commitment to safety. We hope to run them in the new year or when new guidelines permit.

Greg Quiery -author, poet, historian- leads exceptionally researched trails of Liverpool, outlining the influence Irish lives have had here.

One of few physical events in 2020, this two hour walk, popular in recent years, visits the remarkable architecture of the Hope and Rodney Street areas, to discover their connections to the history, politics and culture of Liverpool’s vibrant Irish community. Led by historian Greg Quiery, we advise you book early to avoid disappointment.

Anyone interested in this may also like the City of Hunger; City of Gold walk (Sun 18 Oct) and the Scotland Road walk (24 Oct).

This in an outdoor walk; please be weather prepared, comfortable and hydrated. We will observe Covid-19 regulations as at the date of the walk. Walkers should act responsibly, including wearing a mask in the event streets or locations are busy. We will do all we can to maintain social distancing, but need your active co-operation in this.

This year’s walks are held in memory of Vin Finn, Festival volunteer and Irish community champion.

Donations can be made via this Eventbrite link. All proceeds will go to the work of the Liverpool Irish Festival. Please note any amount you give will include a cost to Eventbrite for making the transaction.

Meet Réamonn Ó Ciaráin, a leading expert in Cú Chulainn and Gaelic translation.

In our Meet the Maker series, he discusses his work and the influence these stories have on Irish culture, his exchanges and what folklore means to us, in a modern world.

Cú Chulainn is a mythic Ulster man, whose powers -and stories of conquest- equate to those of the ancient Greek and Roman deity stories. Adopted by different parties through time, the folkloric stories are embedded in to Irish history.

Listen as Réamonn regales you with stories from Cú Chulainn, ‘Ireland’s greatest source of psychic inspiration’.

Especially good for older children, illustrations from Dara Vallely will also be shown. This is the first time this story will have been read aloud, in English.

This event will be recorded and shared online with subtitles within 48 hours.

 

What are the parallels between Northern Ireland’s troubled history and its status now, during the Brexit upheaval? How can lessons of the past inform our world view today, especially during the turbulence of 2020? Award-winning former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy addresses these topics and more in his discussion of Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement, his new biography of Kevin Boyle.

Boyle, co-founder of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), helped create the intellectual underpinning for the agreement that ended The Troubles. He was chief advisor to Mary Robinson, during her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and played a crucial role in advancing international protections for human rights. Followed by a live Twitter Q&A with Mike, use #LIF2020 to address your questions. Twitter: @mikechinoy and @LilliputPress

Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement by Mike Chinoy is available via www.lilliputpress.ie. Use “LIF20” to receive a 20% discount during the Festival. Direct sales link.

Bio: Mike Chinoy, former foreign correspondent for CNN, has won Emmy, Peabody and Dupont awards for journalism. While he worked primarily in China and elsewhere in Asia, he also reported on The Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 80s, where he met Kevin Boyle. Chinoy is currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s US-China Institute and is based in Hong Kong. His widely acclaimed books include China Live: People, Power, and Television Revolution (1996), Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis (2007), and The Last POW (2014).

This one woman play, adapted for the online space, depicts the life of George Bernard Shaw’s overlooked wife, Charlotte Payne-Townshend.

Charlotte was a remarkable woman who was a wealthy Irish heiress as well as a suffrage supporter, philanthropist and Fabian. She met and married the famous playwright when they were both in their early forties; a marriage lasting until her death. Explored through her diary entries and letters -as well as those of Shaw, Beatrice Webb, T.E. Lawrence and Mrs Patrick Campbell- this is an unconventional Irish love story, accompanied by Celtic harp.

Apologies for an editing error – this is a paid performance so it will not be recorded and shared a later time. This is an ongoing performance that will continue its tour. To follow the work, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/MRSSHAWHERSELF/

Please note, c.50p+ of the total ticket charge will go directly to Eventbrite. The remaining proceeds will go to Helix Productions.

North West End reviewed the piece here.

Show  notes: make sure you get your copy of the show notes, here.

This is an In:Visible Women marker. It shows this event continues our In:Visible Women work. These events are always open to everyone, but are female led and often contain stories pertinent to women. In:Visible Women began in 2016 and shows the Festival’s dedication to promoting equity and hearing from women who have, historically, been diminished by societal systems. This is a small contribution to making invisible women -and their stories- visible.

Liverpool Lambs is a play written by Liverpool Irish pals Peter King and Steve Nolan.

Performed in 2016 at The Unity and The Liverpool Irish Centre (as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival). The duo told the story of 50 Liverpool volunteers involved in the Dublin Easter Rising 1916, three of whom were Peter’s relatives. In 2019 the Liverpool Irish Festival introduced the authors to theatre company Falling Doors Theatre in the hope of mounting a touring version of the play, to premier at #LIF2020, before carrying on across the UK and Ireland. Sadly, this was not to be. However, undeterred, they’re bringing you a podcast with insight into the writing of the play, the origins of the story and what to look forward to.

The King Brothers were raised in Kirkdale, by parents John and Mary who relocated from Blackwater (County Wexford, Ireland). Prior to WW1, the brothers enlisted in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organisation working with the Volunteer Movement, beside many volunteers from the Liverpool branch. The play follows their journey to the deadly uprising in Dublin.
Image credit: Featured image (top right) is courtesy of the Wexford County Archive. Picture below from the King family.

The podcast is available to listen to here:

For an audio described version, use this YouTube link.

This podcast has been made using the volunteer time and dedication of Falling Doors Theatre and Liverpool Lamb’s writers, Peter King and Steve Nolan. If you are able to make a donation towards the Liverpool Lambs project, it would greatly appreciated.

Stairwell Books presents Greg Quiery’s new poetry book in a Liverpool Irish Festival exclusive. Hear live readings and ask questions. Part of our Meet the Maker series.

Greg Quiery is a well-known reader at poetry evenings in Liverpool. This collection of recent work is a miscellany of storytelling, observation and humour. Contemporary Britain and its past are explored with realism, affection, humour; occasionally with anger. Reflections of an Ireland which has passed, but remains alive in memory, are woven into this book.

“These poems are at times heartfelt, at times witty, but always true. As an Irishman in Liverpool, Greg’s poems feel like a parallel journey to my own, but from a different perspective. It is a comfort and joy to walk around these poems. Worked into strong form, they speak with urgency, style and vibrancy.”
Ciarán Hodgers, Writing on the Wall Festival, Liverpool; poet and author of Cosmocartography.

“Greg Quiery teases pomposity, unearned authority and hypocrisy, often explored through the lens of nature, with lines so physical, the reader shares the experience. People breathe on the page as Quiery captures poetry in our daily lives, and makes us take notice. Poems build in tension: the fellah who ‘threw a wobbler’ is revealed with, ‘They tried for kids/he put the blame on her’. It would take more than a fleet of armoured cars to crush these poems. Read them and laugh; read them and weep.”
Sarah MacLennan, Head of Creative Writing, Liverpool John Moores University.

Stray Dog Following is published by Stairwell. Copies will be available to event attendees, direct from Greg or Stairwell Books at a reduced price of £6. Alternatively, News From Nowhere (Bold Street, Liverpool) will stock this item.

Event recording:

Lessons of War documentary film followed by in person Q&A with music artist Matt McGinn. A #LIF2020 exclusive.

Matt McGinn is a seasoned Irish musician with a number of albums under his belt (and more in production!). He has collaborators the world over. Having grown up during The Troubles, music was a way for Matt to engage in expression and find peace. He wondered if he could create peace through music and, working with artists in war torn environments, created Lessons of War. Tonight we watch his beautiful documentary, which covers the making process of the album, before joining him to discuss the music, the experience and the opportunities that can be found in sharing, collaborating and putting a little generosity out in the world.