Paula Meehan in Conversation with Stephen James Smith

Join acclaimed poet Paula Meehan in conversation with poet and performer Stephen James Smith for a special event exploring poetry, place and the living voice of the city.

As part of this year’s Songlines of the City theme, this conversation brings together two of Dublin’s most powerful poetic voices to reflect on how memory, story and sound shape our understanding of place. Paula Meehan, born and raised in Dublin’s north inner city, has long traced the emotional and imaginative landscapes of the city through her work, from intimate lyric to large-scale public commissions. Her newly commissioned poem The City of Our Dreaming, created to mark the 75th anniversary of The Guinness Choir and scored by Seán Doherty, will premiere in St Patrick's Cathedral during the festival.

Stephen James Smith, often described as Dublin’s unofficial poet laureate, brings a dynamic, performative energy to the conversation, shaped by decades of live performance across Ireland and the world. His work moves between spoken word, film and music, carrying the rhythms and voices of the city onto international stages.

Together, they will explore the role of poetry in mapping the city, as archive, as expression, and as a shared language of belonging. This is a rare opportunity to hear two leading voices in Irish poetry reflect on craft, community and the enduring power of words to hold the spirit of a place.