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.
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.
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.
Watch the short documentary Terry has compiled looking at his internationally acclaimed music progression, via the Liverpool locations that brought him to where he is today.
Afterwards, join us for a Zoom where you can ask questions about Terry’s life, music, Irishness, career and experiences. Trade stories, hear others or simply watch a maker talk about his world. This is part of our #LIF2020 Meet the Maker series.
Terry has developed a tour of his Liverpool walk, which is documented in his film. If you wanted to, you could trace his route. There are eight stops, which include:
1. Liverpool Famine Memorial at St Luke’s church
2. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street
3. Former Everyman Bistro plus The Pen Factory
4. Former Liverpool Irish Centre, 128 Mount Pleasant
5. St George’s Hall Plateu, Lime Street
6. Liverpool ferry terminal (now Mersey Ferries and cruise terminal) at Pier Head
7. The Cunard Building at Pier Head
8. Museum of Liverpool at Pier Head
You can follow the Googlemap here:
You could also send yourself this link: https://goo.gl/maps/DNKQ29Yf6x5YNEUf9 to use the map on your phone.
Event recording: The following video was recorded at #LIF2020, 6pm 23 Oct 2020.
The remaining films are from Terry’s collection.
Enjoy an evening of traditional tunes with Dublin based trad/folk duo Varo.
“Varo is the name of a river that, centuries ago, used to represent the border between France and Italy. Over time it wrestled between being French or Italian, as though it couldn’t really choose a nationality, like the two of us. We come from two different countries and have found ourselves falling in love with the Irish music and its culture” – Lucie Azconaga and Consuelo Nerea Breschi.
Varo are singers and fiddle players Lucie Azconaga (France) and Consuelo Nerea Breschi (Italy) who perform Irish traditional songs and tunes, with arrangement influences from the Folk, Baroque and Classical traditions; weaving melodies with harmonies, drones and countermelody. The duo met in 2015, having moved to Dublin to pursue their love for Irish traditional music, and immediately started a fruitful collaboration. They travelled to Ireland along different musical paths, Lucie from jazz, classical music and French folk; Consuelo from Irish trad, folk and world music.
Over the years, Lucie and Consuelo have had the pleasure of working in various other projects, such as Landless, Lisa O’Neill’s Band, Ye Vagabonds, The Morning Tree, Alasourse and The Nomadic Piano Project. They have now assembled a phenomenally talented group for a new collaborative album and video series, which they will premiere videos of and discuss as part of this exclusive live stream event.
Find out more about their upcoming collaboration project, here an listen to their 2020 album here.
“It is an exciting time for Irish folk music, and Varo’s accomplished debut should position them at the forefront of the scene”, Folk Radio UK
“The delicious austerity of the baroque intertwined with the current Dublin traditional music scene. Varo have mastered the art of subtle layering of tunes…”, The Irish Times
“Varo do magic things to traditional tunes…”, Hot Press
Other links: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY
This film was premiered on YouTube and Facebook on 23 Oct 2020.
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.
A shorts film programme, curated exclusively for the Liverpool Irish Festival from submissions to IndieCork Festival in 2020.
IndieCork has partnered with the Festival for many years now, bringing a wealth of new Irish filmmaking talent to our screens. We have found IndieCork’s programmes to be a dynamic showcase for emerging Irish voices, demonstrating the current preoccupations of the makers. Historically it has revealed subject trends and new genres and styles arising from Ireland. Mick Hannigan, Director of IndieCork, handpicks a selection from this year’s competition films, exclusively for the Liverpool Irish Festival, which can this year be enjoyed from your home armchair. Thanks Covid-19!
Image Credit: The Invisible Boy, dir. James Fitzgerald, 2020. This film will feature within the programme.
IndieCork have their own online platform on which to view films. To watch the collection they have compiled for #LIF2020 -from 8pm on Mon 19 Oct 2020- you will need to have signed in here: https://indiecork.filmchief.com/hub/browse
To sign in, you will need to provide an email address, which you must authenticate by replying to their registration email. After that, you will be able to log in. The Liverpool Irish Festival collection will not be available until 8pm on Mon 19 Oct 2020, but will remain available until 8pm on Wed 21 Oct 2020.