Listen Back: Gulliver at 300 – Still Relevant After All These Years? Recording now available
Lecture with Swift Scholar, Dr Brendan Twomey at St Patrick's Hospital
To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Gulliver's Travels on 28 October 2026, Culture Date with Dublin 8 is delighted to release a special recording of a fascinating talk by Jonathan Swift scholar Dr Brendan Twomey, presented as part of our 2026 festival at St. Patrick's Hospital.
First published on 28 October 1726, Gulliver's Travels remains one of Ireland's most celebrated literary works. Written in Dublin by Jonathan Swift, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, the novel has travelled far beyond its origins, captivating generations of readers and becoming one of the most widely translated and recognised works in literary history.
Three centuries later, the extraordinary adventures of Lemuel Gulliver continue to resonate. From the tiny inhabitants of Lilliput to the rational horses of the Houyhnhnms, Swift's imaginative world has become part of global cultural consciousness. Yet beneath its fantastical adventures lies a sharp and enduring satire of politics, society and human nature.
As part of the 2026 Culture Date with Dublin 8 festival, Dr Brendan Twomey explored this remarkable literary legacy in his talk, "Gulliver at 300: Still Relevant After All These Years?", hosted at St Patrick's University Hospital.
The location held particular significance. Alongside his literary achievements, Jonathan Swift was the founder of St Patrick's Hospital, now known as St Patrick's Mental Health Services, establishing a lasting connection between one of Ireland's greatest writers and the cultural and social history of Dublin 8.
As we celebrate 300 years of Gulliver's Travels, we invite you to revisit Dr Twomey's engaging exploration of Swift's masterpiece, its extraordinary global influence and the question of why this 18th-century work continues to speak to audiences today.
The full recording of Dr Brendan Twomey's talk, presented during Culture Date with Dublin 8 2026, is now available to enjoy.
Culture Date with Dublin 8 would like to extend our thanks to Dr Brendan Twomey and St Patrick's Mental Health Services for their contribution to the 2026 festival and for helping us celebrate the extraordinary literary heritage of Dublin 8.
To discover more about the history of St Patrick's Mental Health Services and its connections to Jonathan Swift, visit www.stpatricks.ie/about-us/history-and-archives.
