The Dublin Festival of History gets underway this September, boasting a great programme for history lovers and enthusiasts alike.

The third annual Dublin Festival of History runs from Friday, 25th September until Saturday, 10th October in a variety of venues around Dublin, including the Printworks at Dublin Castle, Dublin City Library & Archive on Pearse Street, and a number of public libraries.

The programme for this year’s event is packed with interesting lectures, debate, film and walks, covering a wide range of topics from the upcoming 1916 centenary commemorations, to a history of League of Ireland football, and even the Battle of Waterloo.

The festival opens on the 25th September with a discussion on commemorative events planned to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising. The panel for the evening includes Professor Diarmuid Ferriter from UCD, Anne Dolan from TCD, UCC’s John A. Murphy, Eamon Phoenix from Queen’s, and Jane Ohlymeyer, also from TCD. There will also be a selection of 1916-themed talks in a number of the branch libraries.

Other events in the diverse and eclectic programme include Bloody Sunday 1920: The Day that Shook Dublin with Michael Foley, John Borgonovo and Padraig Yeates; the History Ireland Hedge School which will focus on a discussion of the history of League of Ireland football; KL, A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps with Nikolaus Wachsmann in conversation with Robert Gerwarth; Napoleon The Great, with Andrew Roberts; Sexual politics and emigrant bodies in twentieth-century Ireland with Jennifer Redmond; and The Battle of Waterloo Experience with renowned (Dublin-born) broadcaster, Peter Snow.

The very fabric of the city that we live and work in everyday is steeped in history, and a particular focus of the festival this year will be on the historic past of some of Dublin’s civic buildings. For instance, the head office of Dublin City Council Public Libraries was once the HQ of the 3rd Dublin Brigade (during the War of Independence), and this will be the subject of the lecture The Pearse Street Ambush at No. 144: 14 March 1921.

This year sees the introduction of a Children’s and Family programme to the festival for the first time, which is being run in conjunction with Children’s Books Ireland. There are plenty of exciting and creative events on offer for the younger historians, ranging from Marita Conlon-McKenna speaking about the Great Famine to learning how to become your own family archivist. Children can build a Georgian city, try on historical dress or “Solve the History Mystery” in branch libraries.

As Margaret Hayes, Dublin City Librarian says, “The Dublin Festival of History is a wonderful opportunity for all to listen, participate and engage in historical debate right in the heart of the city.”

The Dublin Festival of History runs from 25th September until 10th October in a variety of venues throughout the city. Admission to events is free, but must be pre-booked — tickets are available online. Further information about the programme and participating venues is available on the festival website.

Lead image by National Library of Ireland on The Commons [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons; all other images courtesy Dublin Festival of History 2015