If you can’t find a topic of interest in Monday’s Cruinniú na Cásca roster of talks and events, you might need to check you have a heart or indeed a pulse.
Building on last year’s spectacular Easter Rising commemorations, Creative Ireland and RTÉ are collaborating on a huge range of free public events, including more than 50 talks in Dublin alone, spread across St Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle, Smithfield Square and Custom House Quay from 11am to 6pm. A further 31 local authorities are hosting events outside of the capital too. Think of it as a one-day live open university on topics from arts and culture to creativity and social inclusion.
Where to start? At the Unitarian Church on St Stephen’s Green, Declan Hughes will be talking to authors Andrea Carter, Anthony Quinn and Catherine Ryan about writing crime fiction set in rural Ireland. Sorcha Pollack will be talking to Razan Ibraheem, Debbie Beirne and Maisa al-Hariri about Syrian experience in Ireland in the Shelbourne Hotel.
And Una Mullally will be talking to Broden Giambrone, chief executive of Transgender Equality Network Ireland, Darren Collins, who is a member of Traveller community, and Aoife Fitzgibbon O’Riordan, a founder of Bi-Ireland about LGBTQIA visibility.
In Iveagh House, Eithne Shorthall will be interviewing author Donal Ryan. Eoghan McDermott, Mark O’Halloran, Patrick Freyne and Bashir Otukoya will be discussing what is means to be a man in Ireland today and how we express and assess masculinity. And Colm O’Regan, Alison Spittle, Emma Doran and John Colleary will be offering solutions to Irish life through the medium of stand-up.
The Trailblazery
At the National Library, the Irish Traditional Music Archive will be unearthing some of its gems, with a particular look at the work of Leo Rowsome. And Newman University Church will be hosting four conversations as part of The Trailblazery under the heading Pathways to Freedom. It features Sunny Jacobs (activist and Death Row exoneree), social campaigner Ruairí McKiernan and Raoul Martinez (philosopher, artist and filmmaker). A companion event also takes place on Monday at Kilmainham Gaol.
At the Conference Centre, Sinéad Gleeson will present a series of discussions on Women in Irish Society, with guests including Lenny Abrahamson, Lynne Ruane, Sinead Burke and Una Minh Kavanagh. Catriona Crowe has curated a history of Irish popular culture, with talks on: the history of the Supreme Court; ordinary and extraordinary women in Irish history; Heffo’s Army and Dublin GAA; and controversial Garda Commissioners of the past.
And in the spirit of self-promotion, I’ll be hosting a Creativity in Confinement discussion at City Hall at 1.30pm, about how to create art in confinement within the Irish prison system and direct provision. I’ll be talking to musician and playwright Gary Cunningham, who is a former prisoner; Bernie Masterson, arts teacher at the training unit in Mountjoy Prison; and Vukasin Nedeljkovic, a visual artist and researcher and the creator of the Asylum Archive.
For full details on talks, and to find out what's on around the country, see rte.ie/cruinniu. All events are free, but talks, film-screenings, autism-friendly workshops and coding workshops should be pre-booked to secure a place.
RTÉ will also broadcast live from Cruinniú na Cásca events in Dublin throughout the day across RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, with regular updates on television and online. And you can search for #cruinniu on Twitter for updates.
Travel: how to get there
Dublin Bus, Luas and Irish Rail are providing significant extra capacity to cater for the crowds travelling to this event. See transportforireland.ie for all the latest travel information and plan your journey with the Journey Planning app.
Music, dance, fun and games
SMITHFIELD STAGE
- 11:00 Soulé
- 11:40 Jack O'Rourke
- 12:30 Loah
- 1:25 Booka Brass
- 2:20 The Academic
- 3:10 Áine Cahill
- 4:10 Heathers
- 5:10 We Cut Corners
DUBLIN CASTLE STAGE
- 11:00 Landless
- 11:40 Ye Vagabonds
- 12:30 Inni-K
- 1:30 Dylan Tighe
- 2:40 Crash Ensemble
- 3:50 Slow Moving Clouds
- 5:50 Rue
CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY STAGE
- 11:00-1:00 Céilí Mór
- 1:30-3:00 RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline: 1917
- 3:20-5:00 Céilí Mór
- Dance Zone Workshop Zone
- 11:00 Chinese Dance Academy
- 12 noon Bollywood Beats
- 1:00 Tribal Bellydancing
- 2:00 Waacking (similar to disco dancing)
- 3:00 AfroÉire African Drumming & Dance
- 4:00 Tango Fiesta
ST STEPHEN'S GREEN STAGE
South Stage
11:00 RTÉ Radio 1
2:15 Arena with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and guests
2:45 Tango Fiesta
3:20 Dublin Gospel Choir
4:10 Jerry Fish
5:10 Kormac and his Big Band
Bandstand
11:00 Supertonic Orchestra
11:50 Vetra
12:30 Peruvian performance
1:00 Gloria Choir
1:30 Karbunkulis
2:00 Elvé
2:40 Filipno Dancers
3:20 Salsa Cubana
4:10 Masamba Samba
4:50 Gardiner St Gospel Choir
Summer House
11:00 Ridiculous* (The Ark)
12 noon Poetry Aloud* (Poetry Ireland)
1:00 Ridiculous (The Ark)
2:00 Lisa Lamb & John McLoughlin (Poetry Ireland)
3:00 Ridiculous (The Ark)
4:00 Stephen James Smith & Enda Reilly (Poetry Ireland)
Information for the event
- Follow any instructions given by stewards and gardaí, for your own safety, and follow any instructions given over the public address system
- Do not interfere with emergency vehicles/access routes
- Please be respectful of the locations and the environment
- There will be a wide range of food and beverages available for purchase at each location. This is an alcohol-free event
- Drink plenty of water; even on mild or overcast days, the sun can have dangerous health effects
- Toilets and accessible toilets are available in each location
- This is an outdoor event which will take place rain or shine, please remember to plan for adverse weather conditions. The event organisers recommend that patrons dress appropriately, you may need some or all of the following: waterproofs / sweaters/ sunhats / sunscreen / suitable footwear. Always check the weather forecast before leaving. Remember to use sunscreen
- CCTV and film crews will be onsite; event attendees may be filmed or sound recorded and footage may be used for promotion
- There will be a medical post on at each location with medical cover available for the duration of the event
- Locate a member of security, Garda or staff for any emergencies who will be able to assist or locate the correct assistance; look after yourself and those around you
- Please use bins provided for waste – while every effort is being made to pick up waste, your assistance is valued by making use of bins.
