Festival Archive 2026

To mark the 300th anniversary of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Culture Date with Dublin 8 presented Gulliver 300, a dedicated programme strand celebrating one of Dublin's most influential literary figures and his connections to Dublin 8.

Through a diverse programme of talks, exhibitions, tours, workshops, performances and family events, audiences were invited to explore the themes, satire, imagination and legacy of Gulliver's Travels. Programme highlights included Dr Brendan Two

mey's keynote lecture Gulliver @ 300 – Still Relevant After All These Years? at St Patrick’s Hospital, Marsh's Library's Gulliver's Travels exhibition, special tours of St Patrick's Cathedral and the Deanery, Arts Bubble's immersive Gulliver 300 experience, Change Clothes' Gulliver's Tag & Trade workshop, and a range of creative workshops and children’s activities inspired by Swift's famous tale.

As part of the celebrations, Culture Date with Dublin 8 also commissioned illustrator John Rooney to create a special Gulliver 300 collectable postcard, providing audiences with a unique commemorative artwork marking the anniversary and celebrating Swift's enduring connection to Dublin 8.

Songlines of the City was the overarching theme of Culture Date with Dublin 8 2026, inviting audiences to explore Dublin 8 as a living archive shaped by stories, songs, myths, memories and cultural traditions. Inspired by the concept of songlines as pathways connecting people to landscape and place, the theme encouraged visitors to discover the hidden narratives, voices and histories embedded within the streets, buildings and communities of Dublin 8.

Throughout the festival, audiences were invited to experience the area through poetry, music, storytelling, heritage, visual arts and community memory. The theme found expression across a wide range of events, from historical talks and walking tours to performances, exhibitions and creative interventions exploring how stories are carried across generations and how places are continually shaped by those who live, work and create within them.

A major highlight of the programme was the world premiere of The City of Our Dreaming, a new poem commissioned by The Guinness Choir to mark its 75th anniversary, written by Paula Meehan and set to music by Seán Doherty.

The work premiered at St Patrick's Cathedral and brought together poetry, music and place in a powerful artistic response to Dublin 8 and the stories that continue to define it. The performance was attended by President Catherine Connolly, who was present as Guest of Honour, marking the significance of both the commission and The Guinness Choir's milestone anniversary.

The evening also featured a special guest performance by acclaimed Dublin musician Bren Berry, who joined the choir to perform Winter Song and I Love This City, a moving tribute to Dublin and The Liberties.

To accompany the premiere, Paula Meehan recorded a special reading of the poem which was made available to audiences throughout the festival week, allowing visitors to engage with the work while exploring Dublin 8 and its cultural landmarks. The poem also featured prominently in the festival's first dedicated printed brochure, accompanied by specially commissioned artwork and design inspired by the Songlines of the City theme, creating a lasting keepsake for audiences and extending the reach of the commission beyond the live performance.

The theme was further explored through a special in conversation event with Paula Meehan and Stephen James Smith, bringing together two of Ireland’s most celebrated contemporary voices to reflect on poetry, place and the stories that shape our relationship with the city.

Other highlights included An Góilín’s musical walking tours of Dublin 8, which connected audiences with the area's rich tradition of song and oral culture; historian Cathy Scuffil’s fascinating exploration of the history of the horse in Dublin and the traces it has left on the city landscape; the launch of Stories from Maryland, celebrating local memories and community histories; and Chats in the Flats, a documentary screening and discussion exploring the experiences, stories and communities of Dublin’s flat complexes. Audiences were also invited to discover A Matter of Time, an exhibition trail presented across The Liberties that explored layers of history, memory and place through contemporary artistic responses. The programme also featured ‘Poetry Slam’ a Tag Team Slam Poetry & Wrestling event, a unique collaboration between poets and wrestlers that blended spoken word, performance and spectacle, offering a contemporary and playful exploration of storytelling, identity and myth-making.

The theme also found expression through a special programme examining the life, legend and enduring folklore of Dan Donnelly, one of Dublin’s most celebrated sporting and cultural figures. Together, these events encouraged audiences to view Dublin 8 not simply as a collection of streets and buildings, but as a living cultural landscape shaped by generations of stories, songs, memories, myths and imagination.

These themes of story, memory and belonging were also explored through the festival's visual arts programme, which featured a number of exhibitions and artist-led projects celebrating the people, places and cultural identities of Dublin 8.

One of the standout events of Culture Date with Dublin 8 2026 was In The Ring with Donnelly & Dublin's Boxing Heroes, a unique evening of music, storytelling and performance presented in the iconic setting of the National Stadium.

Hosted by Donal Fallon, the event explored the life and legacy of Dan Donnelly, Ireland's first heavyweight boxing champion, whose victories became a symbol of pride, resilience and resistance in post-1798 Ireland. Drawing on themes of history, mythology and identity, the evening brought Donnelly's story vividly to life from within the boxing ring itself.

At the heart of the programme was a powerful performance by Damien Dempsey, whose music and connection to working-class Dublin echoed many of the themes embodied by Donnelly's story. Brian Kerr reflected on his lifelong connection to sport and his father Frankie Kerr's roots in Dublin's boxing community, while acclaimed actor Barry McGovern performed dramatic commentary from Donnelly's historic bouts, capturing the excitement and scale of the events that made him a legend.

Audiences were also treated to a special performance by Terry O'Neill, returning to the very ring where he once boxed as a young man to perform an excerpt from his acclaimed show Rope A Dope. New work by Emmet O'Brien, created especially for the occasion, connected Donnelly's legacy to contemporary Dublin, while musician Niamh Ní Charra brought the evening full circle through music and ballads inspired by Donnelly and the traditions that have kept his story alive across generations.

Part history lesson, part live performance and part cultural celebration, the event embodied the spirit of the festival's Songlines of the City theme, exploring how stories, songs and legends continue to shape Dublin's collective memory.

Special thanks to CWB, the National Stadium, Donore Credit Union, Donal Fallon and all contributors for bringing this remarkable event to life.

This year, Culture Date with Dublin 8 proudly presented CeLiberties, a new exhibition by Dublin 8 based artist Duc Van Pham, celebrating the people, places and everyday experiences that have shaped his life in The Liberties over the past fifteen years.

Originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Duc's exhibition explored themes of belonging, community and identity through a series of paintings inspired by the streets, buildings, landscapes and characters of Dublin 8. Drawing on personal memories and observations, the work captured both the physical and emotional landscape of The Liberties, reflecting Duc's deep connection to the area and the people who have helped make it feel like home.

The exhibition featured portraits and scenes inspired by local residents, neighbourhood landmarks and everyday encounters, celebrating the unique character, resilience and sense of community that continue to define The Liberties despite the area's changing urban landscape. Through CeLiberties, Duc offered a heartfelt tribute to the place he now calls home and to the friendships, stories and shared experiences that connect communities across cultures and generations.

Held as part of Culture Date with Dublin 8, the exhibition invited audiences to see The Liberties through the eyes of someone who has embraced Dublin 8 as a second home, while celebrating the area's enduring spirit, diversity and sense of belonging.

With thanks to the support from The Digital Hub.

As part of Culture Date with Dublin 8 2026, the festival proudly presented Imaginationism, a retrospective exhibition celebrating the life and work of Liberties artist Valerie Gannon.

A resident of Pimlico for over four decades, Valerie was a familiar figure in The Liberties and a passionate observer of the world around her. Throughout her life she maintained a dedicated artistic practice, creating hundreds of paintings that explored politics, religion, literature, current affairs, music and everyday life through a distinctive visual language she described as Imaginationism.

Working largely outside traditional gallery systems, Valerie's paintings became part of the fabric of the local community, often displayed in shops and businesses throughout The Liberties or gifted to friends, neighbours and local organisations. Her bold, colourful and deeply personal works captured both global events and local landmarks, offering a unique perspective on the world as she experienced it.

Curated by Paul Duane from the collection of Noel Fleming, the exhibition brought together a significant body of Valerie's work and introduced it to new audiences in the former Books At One premises on Meath Street. The exhibition opening featured guest speaker Brent Pope and was attended by Valerie's family, friends, neighbours and members of the wider community.

More than an exhibition, Imaginationism celebrated Valerie's enduring connection to The Liberties and recognised an artist whose creativity, resilience and generosity left a lasting impression on those who knew her and on the community she called home.

Special thanks to Valerie's family, curator Paul Duane, Noel Fleming and Brent Pope for their support in bringing this exhibition to life. Special thanks to the Dublin City Council Arts Office and colleagues in the South Central Area Office for their support in facilitating the use of the former Books At One premises and helping create a new cultural space in the heart of The Liberties.

• Heritage Sites and Museums across Dublin 8 provided a variety of free events over the Culture Date with Dublin 8 weekend including:
  
• Christchurch Cathedral - Heavenly Fashion: Dress History in Christ Church Cathedral, with Anya-Willow O’Brien, A Military History of Ireland Through Christ Church Cathedral’s Monuments, with John Doran, Art and Architecture of Christ Church’ with Lorcan Duffy, Monks Tour with Charline Zachariades, Camille O’Sullivan Concert
  
• Dublinia - Viking Knit Weaving Class, Exhibition Tour & Viking Walking Tour
  
• St Patrick's Cathedral - Arts Bubble #20 - Human Measures: A Voyage Through Shifting Perspectives, The City of Our Dreaming Concert, Gulliver’s Travel’s Workshop & Jonathan Swift Tour
  
• Marsh's Library - Tours, Gulliver 300 Exhibition
  
• IMMA - Guided tours of IMMA Exhibitions, Explorer Family Art Workshop
  
• OPW: Phoenix Park - Biodiversity tour, Vikings of Islandbridge tour, & Knockmaree Cromlech tour, Magazine Fort Tour, Tour of St Mary’s Hospital
  
• Kilmainham Gaol - Children's tours of the gaol, Alternative Kilmainham tour
  
• National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL): Large and Small Scales in the Archive & Artists of Dublin 8
  
• Goldenbridge Cemetery - Goldenbridge Cemetery tours by Dublin Cemeteries Trust
  
• St Audoen's Church, Park & Visitor Centre - Free entry, speciality lunch time tours, OPW Talk & Tour (in Medieval Costume): St Audoen’s and the Medieval City Walls (and an Italian tour), OPW Tour: St Audoen’s Church – Exploring Dublin’s Oldest Medieval Parish Church and It’s Park, OPW Secret Mission Tour-An Interactive Children’s Tour of St Audoen’s Church, Between Renaissance and Baroque by the Westland Trio Baroque Ensemble concert, St George's Brass Band outdoor concert in the park
  
• Edward Worth Library - Open Day and Tours, Satellites at the Court of the Sun King: French Bookbindings talk, ‘Why Flanagan’s Fields?’ Local History Lecture with Cathy Scuffil
  
• Farmleigh Gallery & Estate - OPW A Legacy of Philanthropy: The Iveagh Trust, Outdoor Walking Tour-Poetry in Motion, OPW From Womb To Tomb, The Lifelong Legacy of Guinness Care, Houses of Guinness
  
• The National Archives of Ireland - The National Archives of Ireland Presents: Ask the Archives - 1926 Census Clinics
  
• An Taisce - Tours of Tailor’s Hall, D8 Clean Up with Clean Coasts, and Bike Maintenance Workshop, A Libertine Feast Exhibition, Unity in The Community
  
• Richmond Barracks - Singing Day
  
• Royal Hospital Kilmainham - Tour of Bully's Acre
  
• Lunchtime tour of St Luke’s Graveyard in the Coombe with Charles Duggan

• Teeling Whikey Distillery - The Liberties Weavers Presents: Walk, Weave & Whiskey Experience, Teeling Turas As Gaeilge: Irish Tour, Whiskey Whispers: A Sofar Sounds Special, DUETS Live, BIMM Music Showcase
  
• Pearse Lyons Distillery - Free guided tours of the distillery featuring St James's Graveyard
  
• Roe & Co Distillery - Imagined Irish Coffee Workshop
  
• Stillgarden Distillery - Discover Stillgarden to Glass - A Botanical Adventure
  
• Rascals Brewery - Bag of Cannes Film Festival & ‘Inside I’m Dancing’ 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.

• Keynote Lecture: Gulliver at 300 - Still relevant after all these years? & Walking Tour of Swift’s Dublin with Swift Scholar Dr Brendan Twomey
  
• Paula Meehan in Conversation with Stephen James Smith at The Deanery Mews
  
• Of Cobblestones and Jostle Stones: A celebration of the horse in Dublin and the evidence left behind with Historian, Cathy Scuffil at The Hyatt Centric Hotel
  
• 'Thomas Street in Images’ talk with local historian Mark Jenkins
  
• Dublin 8's 20th Century Stained Glass Window Heritage with David Caron
  
• Dublin Decoded - Hidden Portobello Tour, Tour Between Three Great Liberties Churches
  
• In Our Shoes Walking Tours - Walking tours of the Liberties
  
• Walking Tour of Medieval Dublin 8 with Friends of Medieval Dublin
  
• Kilmanham Inchicore Heritage Group - The Story of Inchicore and Kilmainham in Seven Landmarks, Surrounded by Water – From the Grand Canal to the Camac
  
• Swift’s Dublin: A Walking Tour with St Patrick’s Hospital
  
• Dolphin’s Barn Biodiversity and Cleanup Group - Canal Nature Walk
  
• Herb Walk through Bridgefoot Park with Dublin Herbal Bike
  
• Liz Gillis Presents: The Easter Rising Day by Day: 110 Years On & They Died on 8th May 1916
  
• Songlines of The City Musical Walking Tours of The Liberties with An Góilín Traditional Singers
  
• Culture Date with Dublin 8 x DoDublin Tours

A number of events on the Culture Date with Dublin 8 programme raised money for charity including Little Flower Penny Dinners, Solus Project, Frontline, Inchicore Football For All and the D8 Food Bank.

In total we raised more than 1,500euro

Thanks to Pearse Lyons Distillery & Alltech, Iconic Offices, Dublin Food Walking Tours, Flowerpop and Why Not Flowers

Culture Date with Dublin 8 received extensive local and national media coverage throughout 2026, generating an exceptional campaign reach across television, radio, print and online media. The campaign delivered a total of 197 editorial pieces, an Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) of €2.28 million and a total potential reach of 28.39 million across media channels.

Culture Date with Dublin 8 featured widely across RTÉ News, RTÉ Nationwide, RTÉ Arena, RTÉ Culture, The Irish Independent, Newstalk, Totally Dublin, FM104, Q102, Dublin City FM, Spin 103.8, Radio Nova, Today FM, Classic Hits, Raidió na Gaeltachta, The Sunday Times, The Irish Times, Dublin Gazette, Southside People, The Gloss, Extra.ie, Dublin Live and more.

Highlights included coverage on RTÉ News Six and Nine O’Clock, RTÉ Nationwide, a full page feature in The Irish Independent, interviews on Newstalk and RTÉ Arena, extensive broadcast coverage and a dedicated media launch at Marsh’s Library.

Please see the Culture Date with Dublin 8 Media Report 2026 for full details.

Culture Date with Dublin 8 welcomed an estimated 14,000+ attendees in 2026 through a diverse programme of 218 events spanning heritage, visual arts, music, literature, community, family and cultural experiences. Taking place across 108 venues and spaces and delivered in collaboration with 128 programme partners, the festival continued to grow in scale, reach and impact, making 2026 the most ambitious and successful edition to date.

The 128 programme partners included 57 local businesses, 20+ heritage sites and 45 community, independent and arts organisations.

The programme featured over 130+ artists, musicians, performers and historians from across Dublin 8 and beyond, while supporting three solo exhibitions, five local charities, a 17-week IADT internship placement and volunteers through Dublin City Volunteer Centre.

Culture Date with Dublin 8 welcomed over 65,300 visitors to its website in 2026, generating more than 208,300 page views, while social media content achieved a reach of over 1.8 million across platforms. The festival also delivered 14 newsletter campaigns to more than 54,000 recipients, achieving an impressive 50.9% open rate and generating 27,497 opens.

The festival's PR campaign generated 197 editorial pieces, achieving an AVE of €2.28 million and a total potential reach of 28.39 mil

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