The 2014 Liberties Festival Going To Be As Eclectic As Ever

One of Ireland’s oldest festivals, The Liberties Festival is about to get underway, encompassing an exciting programme of culture and arts.

It’s the 44th annual Liberties Festival, opening next Tuesday, 15th July, and running until Saturday 19th July, with a huge programme of events including visual art, film, dance, comedy, literature and music. The festival takes place in the historic Liberties area and makes great use of the terraced streets, bustling shops, open spaces, and the mix of old and new buildings.

Throughout June, Liberties locals with tattoos were invited to have their photographs taken by Ger O’Donnell and share the stories behind their ink. The Liberties Inked expo features more than 40 intimate portraits and stories of people of the Liberties – from local traders to students – who’ve been tattooed. At NCAD.

The festival will present the premiere and only Irish screening of the multi-award winning, critically acclaimed documentary Bridegroom – winner of Best Documentary at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Bridegroom tells the story of Shane Bitney Crone following the tragic death of his partner Tom Bridegroom. Shane Bitney Crone will be in attendance for a Q&A with GAZE Film Festival Programmer, Emma Connors, following the screening at Wood Quay Venue on Wednesday, 16th July.

Nighthawks will be returning to the Guinness Storehouse on Saturday 19th. The music line-up includes One Horse Pony, Clara Rose and Shane Hennessy. There will also be some laughs from Kevin Gildea and John Colleary. For poetry and literature poet and playwright Colm Keegan and Booker-listed Donal Ryan are also on the programme. There’s Opera In The Open at St. John’s Lane Church on Thursday 17th. It’s a great chance to experience some of the most famous operas, such as Carmen, Don Giovanni, Turandot, and Rigoletto.

And there’s lots more: A charity run in association with St James’s Hospital covers 6km of the Liberties area, Sean O’Connor will read from his memoir, Growing Up So High: A Liberties Boyhood, Patrick Kavanagh – A Life will be performed by P J Brady and there’s workshops on yoga, photography and art for all ages. In keeping with the festival’s tradition most of these events are free!

Liberties Festival runs from the 15th – 19th July, 2014. Connect with them on Facebook.