Script Shop are a local group of writers and performers, who have developed two plays linking Liverpool and Ireland.
Settled Score (written by Graham Scott) considers the position of a nurse accused of murdering of a former British soldier whilst serving in Derry, whist Aftermath (by Alex May) explores James Larkin’s (formerly of Liverpool) role in the 1913 Dublin Lock Out. Telling a story of resistance in the face of great odds, Aftermath won the Most Original Play Award at the Leverhulme Drama Festival.
Each play will also be performed at the Museum of Liverpool as art of the Family Day on Sat 28 Oct 2017. Please see full event listing for updates and schedules closer to the time.
The Liverpool Irish Festival are pleased to support Script Shop.
Ken Grant was showing his photographs to a community group in Dublin in the early 1990s.
A woman became convinced that she knew the people in the picture as close relatives. She was wrong. The picture was made in Liverpool, but it started a conversation about shared cultures, family connections and the cultural histories shared between Liverpool and Ireland. In this illustrated presentation, Ken discusses his experiences on both sides of the Irish Sea, exploring the rich and deep traits in photography and culture shared by Liverpool, Belfast and wider Ireland.
Ken Grant has photographed Liverpool since the 1980s, with his pictures of the city widely published and exhibited. Whilst better known for books The Close Season and No pain whatsoever, he has also worked and taught widely in Ireland and for more than a decade ran the Documentary Photography Course in Newport, Wales. He now works in Belfast, running the MFA Photography Course at the School of Art. In this illustrated presentation, he discusses his experiences of photography in Liverpool and Ireland, and explores the new wave of contemporary photography and the rich and deep connections emerging in Belfast and wider Ireland.
This strand of work between the Liverpool Irish Festival and the Institute of Irish Studies, features two high profile Irish women, speaking about reconciliation and living peacefully in conflict.
Linked with In:Visible Women, these women represent monumental shifts In social positioning, and progressive reform. The discussion will be chaired by Professor Pete Shirlow, Director, The Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool.
Dawn Purvis (left) and Elisha McCallion
Elisha McCallion was the first Mayor of the new Derry City and Strabane District Council, on its formation in 2015. She brought together statutory and community agencies in Derry to advance proposals for Crisis Intervention Services, to address the gap that exists for those feeling isolated and in crisis due to mental health issues. Elisha was elected to the Northern Island Assembly in March 2017, holding the seat previously held by the late Martin McGuinness. In June 2017 Elisha made history by winning the Foyle seat in the Westminster election, from the SDLP who had held it since 1983.
Dawn Purvis was a Member of the NI Assembly from March 2007-May 2011, representing East Belfast. She was appointed as head of the Progressive Unionist Party in 2007. In 2011, Dawn left politics and became NI Programme Director with Marie Stopes International (MSI), opening the first integrated sexual and reproductive healthcare centre in Belfast. She is currently CEO of a housing charity.
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Free entry, booking required. Spaces are limited. Please RSVP to Dorothy Lynch (Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool) using dorothy@liv.ac.uk or +44(0) 151 794 3837. Remaining seats will allocated on a first-come first served basis.
Documentary; Cert PG, 75 mins
Daisy Asquith’s (BBC 4 documentary maker and Goldsmith’s Senior Lecturer) documentary follows her mother’s story of adoption, tracing her genealogical line back to Kilkee (Co Clare) in rural Ireland. At a time when pregnancy out of wedlock could result in social reprisal, familial rejection and potential death, Daisy’s film shows her mother finding identity through unknown relatives and demonstrates the impact entrenched views can have on communities and the bravery required today to unravel the transformational decisions of yesteryear. Pertinent to this year’s In:Visible Women strand, the film inevitably considers social and sexual morality, Catholicism and institutional processes
Two great Liverpool based acts – Conleath McGeary and headliners The Jesse Janes – set up what is sure to be a great night of Irish folk, bluegrass, skiffle and rock and roll. Expect a party atmosphere and lots of dancing!
According to Irish mythology, Samhain (like Beltane) was a time when the ‘doorways’ to the Otherworld opened, allowing supernatural beings and the souls of the dead to come into our world; but while Beltane was a summer festival for the living, Samhain “was essentially a festival for the dead”.
NOTICE: In a change to listings, the first performance of Song of Love will actually take place at 1pm, not 12pm. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Artists Sheena Graham-George (Orkney, Scotland) and Angelica Kroeger (Ullapool, Scotland) have created a soundscape woven from the sounds of Mount Brandon (Dingle, Co.Kerry), the voices of Bríd Ní Mhóráin, Muiris Ó Muircheartaigh and the vocals of Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Breandán Ó Beaglaoich.
Song of Love was inspired by Muiris Muircheartaigh, a local farmer whose family has farmed the slopes of Mount Brandon for centuries. Intimate knowledge of the land was passed down from one generation to the next, through walking the land and maintaining oral traditions. Each field, wall, stream and cliff of Muiris’s land is named and mapped as conscientiously as any urban street map.
This soundscape celebrates our ability to commune with nature; its heavenly effects on our souls, bodies and voice and our love and connectivity with and for the land. The acoustics and reflective properties of the Chapel should provide clarity for sound, mindfulness and solitude, just as nature can.
Song of Love takes place in the Crypt’s Chapel, accessed from Brownlow Hill. Please allow yourself time to find the access point ahead of the on-the-hour showings.
Artists Sheena Graham-George (Orkney, Scotland) and Angelica Kroeger (Ullapool, Scotland) have created a soundscape woven from the sounds of Mount Brandon (Dingle, Co.Kerry), the voices of Bríd Ní Mhóráin, Muiris Ó Muircheartaigh and the vocals of Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Breandán Ó Beaglaoich.
Song of Love was inspired by Muiris Muircheartaigh, a local farmer whose family has farmed the slopes of Mount Brandon for centuries. Intimate knowledge of the land was passed down from one generation to the next, through walking the land and maintaining oral traditions. Each field, wall, stream and cliff of Muiris’s land is named and mapped as conscientiously as any urban street map.
This soundscape celebrates our ability to commune with nature; its heavenly effects on our souls, bodies and voice and our love and connectivity with and for the land. The acoustics and reflective properties of the Chapel should provide clarity for sound, mindfulness and solitude, just as nature can.
Song of Love takes place in the Crypt’s Chapel, accessed from Brownlow Hill. Please allow yourself time to find the access point ahead of the on-the-hour showings.
Professor Mary Hickman* chairs a Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad panel in the morning.
The Irish government has announced that it intends to hold a referendum about allowing Irish citizens abroad to vote in Presidential elections in Ireland. The referendum is part of the government’s Diaspora policy and is a response to the anger of many young Irish emigrants that they lose their right to vote once they leave the country. In most European countries, including the UK, you do not.
This panel discussion will look at the issues behind the campaign for Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad (VICA); why it matters; and what the advantages are for Irish citizens living in Britain, especially with Brexit looming. There will be ample time for audience participation in the discussion.
Members of the panel: Patrick Morrison, Chair of Irish in Britain; Ciaran Doolin; Dean Duke and Shelagh O’Connor. The panel will be chaired by Professor Mary Hickman.
* Professor Mary Hickman is Professor Emeritus of Irish Studies and Sociology at London Metropolitan University having been a Professorial Research Fellow at the Centre for Irish Studies, at St Mary’s University, London between 2012-2016. Pivotal in establishing the Irish Studies Centre at London Metropolitan University in 1988; Mary was also Director for the Institute for the Study of European Transformations at London Met (2002-2012). Her research specialisms include Irish migration and diaspora. Her latest book is Women and Irish Diaspora Identities (edited with J. MacPherson, 2014). Mary has extensive experience of community involvement and being a trustee, currently holding trusteeships of the Liverpool Irish Festival and the London Irish Centre, being a member of the Mayor of London’s Community Advisory Committee for the St Patrick’s Day Festival and is Chair of the campaign Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad (VICA).
A time to unwind, be with friends and family and celebrate the breadth of Irish culture in this afternoon of music, song, dance, food and drink. A perfect time to reconnect with your loved ones, your (or another) culture and plan your next trip to the Island of Ireland!
The Family Céilí is one of the most popular family events at the Liverpool Irish Festival and this year returns, at a new location which welcomes families to join Liverpool Comhaltas in the spiritual home of the Irish community on Merseyside, the Liverpool Irish Centre (6 Boundary Lane, Liverpool L6 5JG). Bring family, friends and your dancing feet to join the fun and have a go a learning some Irish céilí dances, complete with live music from Liverpool Comhaltas. No previous experience is necessary as full instructions will be given, from a great dance caller.
This event also celebrates 60 years since the establishment of the Liverpool Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. For those in our readership who don’t know, Comhaltas is a cultural movement concerned with the promotion and preservation of the music, dance and language of Ireland. As the world grows more complex, it is more important than ever to take a strong stand in maintaining a living folk tradition. Thus, celebrating 60 years of the Liverpool Branch, which has been instrumental in maintaining the tradition of Irish music teaching, playing and appreciation here and away from the city, is incredibly important and we welcome you to join in.
To find out more about Liverpool Comhaltas and its bunreacht (constitution) visit its Facebook page @Comhaltas.Liverpool
This event is organised by Liverpool Comhaltas and the Liverpool Irish Centre in partnership with the Liverpool Irish Festival and forms part of a wider family weekend, which includes the Family Day at the Museum.
Kelly’s Dispensary is a home-from-home for many Irish people now living in Liverpool.
Involved in the community, sponsoring local Gaelic Athletic Association teams, the trad session has been a great addition to Kelly’s (and the festival), where performers receive free food and drink.
