Festival Archive 2025

This year, the Culture Date with Dublin 8 festival commemorated the 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth with a number of specially curated events that celebrated his life and legacy, and his connections to Dublin 8.

A Monster Meeting

The first Monster Meeting of the 21st Century was held at Goldenbridge Cemetery, on Sunday 11 May. Curated by musician Fiach Moriarty, the event featured reenactments of notable speeches by Daniel O’Connell and Frederick Douglass, performed by Jim Roche and Peter M. Smith, along with bespoke performances from spoken word artists Roxanna Nic Liam and John Cumins, historian Ultan Moran, as well as musician Sive, renowned pipe and flute player Louise Mulcahy and a performance by the Foley Irish Dancing Academy. With thanks to Dublin Cemeteries Trust.

Keynote Lecture

Patrick M.Geoghegan gave a keynote lecture on the topic of Daniel O'Connell and the Campaign for Civil Rights. Thanks to the Hyatt Centric The Liberties for hosting this event and to Bridge Interpretation for sponsoring this event in ISL. Click here to watch this lecture.

Liberation at The Back Lane Parliament

Liberation at the Back Lane Parliament, curated by author and journalist Caelainn Hogan, invited audiences into the historic Tailor’s Hall—a former guildhall and revolutionary meeting place—for an evening of storytelling, performance, music, and art exploring personal and collective ideas of freedom.

The powerful lineup featured Tuqa Al-Sarraj, Osaro Azams, Chrissy Donoghue Ward, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Jude Hughes, Day Magee, 1EuroFiddy, Ala Buisir, Lauren Kelly, and Alliance for Choice, Derry.

Other tours and talks

A talk and tour by Brian Crowley, the Collections Curator of Kilmainham Gaol Museum explored Daniel O’Connell’s imprisonment in Dublin 8 and a remarkable story about the Liberator in Kilmainham Courthouse.

The Dublin Cemeteries Trust led speciality tours of of Goldenbridge Cemetery, the first non-denominational cemetery opened by O’Connell in 1828, while the OPW led a tour of Ashtown Castle in The Phoenix Park, exploring the connection with Daniel O’Connell and the Duke of Wellington.

Daniel's Dates in Dublin 8

Dublin City Council South Central Area Historian in Residence, Cathy Scuffil, wrote a blog post exploring the Liberator’s connections to Dublin 8. Read it here.

This year’s Late in D8 programme was a very special highlight of our programme. In association with artist management company CWB, we hosted a variety of late night and after-dark events in various museums and heritage sites, as well as local churches, distilleries, creative studios and some of Dublin 8's finest pubs.

Paul Noonan (Bell X1) at the Church of Saint Catherine and Saint James, Donore

A special highlight of our Late in D8 programme included an intimate gig in the Church of St Catherine’s and St James in Donore, with local D8 resident and musician Paul Noonan of Bell X1, who was joined by Jim Lawlor of Saso.

A Pint of The Past: Tales of Dublin 8 with Donal Fallon at St Patrick's Cathedral

Another flagship Late in D8 event ‘A Pint of The Past’ was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This event was an evening of song and performance curated by historian Donal Fallon, exploring the rich and rebellious brewing history of Dublin 8. The event featured contributions from Macdara Yeates, Stephen James Smith, Helena Byrne, and Padraig O’Lionsaigh with an after-party in Leonard’s Corner with special guests DJs.

Other Late in D8 Highlights

Other events included late night openings of Marsh’s Library, film screenings at St Andrew's Community Centre and CIE Sports and Social Club Inchicore, the launch of Rialto Community Arts Festival at The Circular, Throwing Shapes 1st Birthday party, La Catedral Studios 20 Year Anniversary event, a Celebration Concert at both Adam and Eves Church and Christchurch Cathedral, a number of live podcasts including Three Castles Burning, Dáta Duchais le Raidió Rírá and Irish Women in Jazz podcast.

Late in D8 Music Trail

Culture Date with Dublin 8 launched a late night music trail across Friday 9th and Saturday 10th May in association with the Dublin City Night Time Economy Officer, Ray O’Donoghue. This music trail featured bands and DJs in some of Dublin 8's finest pubs and breweries.

The line up featured The Goaties at The Liberty Belle, Friday Night Live at Rascals Brewery, Dublin Digital Radio at Lucky’s, Abbacaxi B2B Bedlam DJs at the Fourth Corner, Mnemonic Pulse at The Bello Bar, Vinyl DJ sets at the Thomas House and Arthur’s Blues and Jazz Club.

Thank You

Thank you to CWB Management and Ray O'Donoghue, Dublin City Council's Night Time Economy Officer for making our Late in D8 programme happen. Special thanks to Rascals Brewing, The Chancery Hotel and The Aisling Hotel for sponsoring some of our Late in D8 events.

Heritage Sites and Museums across Dublin 8 provided a variety of free events over the Culture Date with Dublin 8 weekend including:

• Dublinia - Viking Knit Weaving Class, Tower Tour, Exhibition Tour
• Christchurch Cathedral - A Festival Chorus & Celebration Concert, Fun Family Monks Tour, Yoga in the Nave, Rats and Rascals Tour, Organ Recital & Tower Tour
• St Patrick's Cathedral - A Pint of The Past: Tales from Dublin 8, Let’s Draw Lugs! Cartoon Workshop with Aidan Harte and Secret Stories Tour
• Marsh's Library - Lego Treasure Hunt & Free Entry, Late Night Tours
• IMMA - Explore the Green Cube biodiversity tour, Family Inclusive Tour: Art as Agency, Ink and Petals: Spring Tie Paper Flower Workshop, Guided tours of IMMA Exhibitions
• OPW: Phoenix Park - Biodiversity tour, Vikings of Islandbridge tour, & Knockmaree Cromlech tour
• Kilmainham Gaol - Children's tours of the gaol, tour ‘The Liberator in Chains: Daniel O’Connell in Richmond Bridewell, 1944 & ‘The Voice and Sentiments which went forth at Kilmainham Gaol: Daniel O’Connell & Kilmainham Courthouse’
• Goldenbridge Cemetery - ‘A Monster Meeting in Dublin 8’ & ‘Equality in Life and Death: Daniel O’Connell and Goldenbridge Cemetery’ tours by Dublin Cemeteries Trust
• St Audoen's Church, Park & Visitor Centre - Free entry, speciality lunch time tours, Family Day activities, St George's Brass Band outdoor concert in the park and a Family Fun Day by Happenings
• Edward Worth Library - Rialto Buildings ‘The Place and The People’ talk with Cathy Scuffil & Tours of the Edward Worth Library & Culture Club Tour
• Farmleigh Gallery & Estate - a variety of speciality tours including: Rhythms of Light Tour, Tural Treoraithe ar Theach Farmleigh, Traces of Classical Antiquity tour, Neighbours, A Legacy of Philanthropy: The Iveagh Trust, Arthur Guinness: Brewer of the first Guinness Pint - born 300 years ago, Tilted Work-Life Balance of Dublin’s Domestic Servants in the 1900's & Arthur Guinness: The Man Who Brewed an Empire
• The National Archives of Ireland - Humans of Dublin 8: revealing the lives of the community through the 1911 census
• An Taisce - Tours of Tailor’s Hall, Friends of the Iveagh Markets showcase event & Liberation at The Back Lane Parliament
• Richmond Barracks - Detox Your Home with Environmentalist Gobhnait Ní Néill, Reuse and Repair Social
• The Iveagh Trust - Tours of Nellie’s Flat Museum
• Royal Hospital Kilmainham - Tour of Bully's Acre

From the 150th anniversary of the Great Liberties Whiskey Fire to podcasts and movie nights, breweries and distilleries across the area contributed a fantastic array of events to our programme, including:

• Teeling Whikey Distillery - ‘Still With Us’ A Walk and Talk with Whiskey Historian Fionnán O’Conner, talk ‘The Great Liberties Whiskey Fire (150 years on)’ with Las Fallon
• Dublin Liberties Distillery - Irish Coffee Class with Dubliner Whiskey, Irish Women in Jazz Podcast with Alexa Potinga & the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival Competition
• Guinness Storehouse - How to Gael Podcast - Le How To Dublin 8(postponed)
• Pearse Lyons Distillery - Free guided tours of the distillery featuring St James's Graveyard
• Roe & Co Distillery - Spirit of the Liberties Tour
• Stillgarden Distillery - Free Garden Tours & Distillery Tours
• Rascals Brewery - First Friday Live Music Showcase & ‘Sing Street’ Movie Night

Speciality walking tours were a highlight of this year's programme. Many thanks to all of the local historians and heritage groups for their creative and inspiring contributions.

• Dublin Decoded - Speciality tours: Around Dublin’s Medieval Walls, The History & Architecture of Meath Street & Francis Street, A Walking Tour of Thomas Street and James’s Street
• Anne Devlin: Rebel Liberty Belle with historian Liz Gillis
• James Madigan - From The Coombe to Kathleen’s Corner
• The Marian Tour with Caelainn Hogan and 1EuroFiddy
• In Our Shoes Walking Tours - Walking tours of the Liberties
• Me Jewel and Me Darlin’ Dubh Linn: Recent Archaeological Discovers in Dublin 8 with Friends of Medieval Dublin
• Kilmanham Inchicore Heritage Group - Small Stream, Mighty River - The Camac & Walking the Franchises of The Parish in St James
• Swift’s Dublin: A Walking Tour with St Patrick’s Hospital
• The Emergency: A Walk Through The Tenters with The Tenters Celebrated Heritage Group
• Dolphn’s Barn Biodiversity and Cleanup Group - Canal Nature Walk
• Irish Whiskey Walking Tour: Dublin’s Golden Triangle by Dubh Linn Walking Tours
• Herb Walk through Bridgefoot Park with Dublin Herbal Bike
• Revolutionary Housing League Walking Tour

A number of events on the Culture Date with Dublin 8 programme raised money for charity including Little Flower Penny Dinners, Shannon’s Hopeline, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Medical Aid for Palestine.

In total we raised more than €3.5k!

Thanks to Pearse Lyons Distillery & Alltech, Liz Gillis, The Masonry, Caelainn Hogan and Clodagh O’Leary

Thank you to everyone who made Culture Date with Dublin 8 2025 a huge success!

• Dublin City Council South Central Area
• CWB
• Dublin Nights / Dublin.ie
• IMMA - Irish Museum of Modern Art
• Kilmainham Gaol
• Christchurch Cathedral
• St Patrick's Cathedral
• Dublinia
• Marsh's Library
• Phoenix Park Biodiversity Centre
• Irish National War Memorial Gardens
• Dublin Cemeteries Trust
• St Audoen's Church and Park
• The National Archives of Ireland
• Richmond Barracks
• Iveagh Trust Museum Flat
• Royal Hospital Kilmainham
• Farmleigh Gallery and Estate
• Edward Worth Library
• NCAD
• Tailor's Hall and An Taisce
• St Patrick’s Hospital
• Adam & Eves Church
• St. Catherine's & St. James Church
• Guinness Storehouse
• Rascals Brewery
• Stillgarden Distillery
• Roe & Co
• Teeling Whiskey Distillery
• Pearse Lyons Distillery
• Dublin Liberties Distillery
• The Hyatt Centric
• Stay City
• The Chancery Hotel
• The Aisling Hotel
• Aloft Hotel
• The Digital Hub
• The Masonry
• Smart D8
• DCCCC Culture Club
• Liberties Dublin
• DCLA
• Patrick Geoghegan
• Donal Fallon
• Las Fallon
• Liz Gillis
• Caelainn Hogan
• Cathy Scuffil
• Fionnán O'Connor
• Mark Jenkins
• In Our Shoes Walking Tours
• Dublin Decoded
• Pallas Projects
• The Liberties Weavers
• The Tenters Celebrated Heritage Group
• La Catedral Studios
• We Love Markets
• Kilmainham Inchicore Heritage Group
• Dolphin’s Barn Grand Canal Biodiversity and Clean Up Group
• St Patrick’s Athletic & Dermot Looney
• St. Andrew's Community Centre
• Liberties Community Project
• Friends of Medieval Dublin
• Riallto Community Arts Festival
  
• Bee8
• The Playground Rialto
• Throwing Shapes
• Happenings
• Donore Credit union
• Dublin 8 Baby Social
• CIE Hall, Inchicore Sports & Social
• Studio X
• Change Clothes
• Dublin Herbal Bike
• Street Feast
• F2 Centre
• Radio Ri Ra
• Portobello Community Centre
• ThinkPunk Studios
• Friends of the Iveagh Markets
• Clancy Quay Studios
• DICFF
• Flower & Bean
• Breathing Space
• The Circular
• Arthur’s Blues and Jazz Club
• Irish Women in Jazz
• The Thomas House
• St George’s Brass Band
• The Liberty Belle
• James Madigan
• Bridge Interpreting
• Luke Clerkin
• The Bello Bar
• The Goo Magazine & Enthusiastic Eunuch
• Swift D8
• Lucky's
• Fourth Corner
• Nancy Hands
• Leonard's Corner
• The Glen of Aherlow
• Smithfield Creatives
• Street Feast
• St Brigid’s Primary School
• Foley Irish Dance Academy
• Tours with Karl
• Travel Trackie
• Dubhlin Walking Tours