Arts and Literature Festivals in Ireland: A Celebration of Dublin’s Cultural Identity

James Joyce gave the world The Dubliners as a rationale for leaving behind a stultifying environment, which nonetheless kept hold of him until he died. His scathing indictment of Dublin as a center of paralysis lasted because his literary assessment was so finely written, and because Irish politics and social expectations remained rigid and restrictive. Such is the account given by Fintan O’Toole in his exceptional We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, a book that should be required reading for Irish Americans over fifty. Well, for everyone of Irish descent.

I have reflected, when teaching Irish literature—which always necessitates teaching Irish history—why I spend so much time on the revolutionary era and then jump to contemporary literature with little attention to writers of the mid-twentieth century. Part of the reason is that Ireland, especially in Dublin, stayed bound to isolation and nationalism, reluctant to internationalize economically or culturally, until it got shaken up, or shook itself up, in a single decade: the 1990s.

In ten years, Mary Robinson was elected as the first female president, the Celtic Tiger bounded in (and out), the Belfast Agreement was signed, and Ireland adopted the Euro. In the past two decades, Ireland has amended parts of its Constitution, faced up to its shameful treatment of women and children through the Magdalene laundries, and begun to address gender and sexual orientation inequities, migrant populations, drug issues, and other concerns. From Eamon De Valera to Leo Varadkar in a century? And the appointment of a Sinn Fein leader, Michelle O’Neill, as First Minister in Northern Ireland? That sweep of history is brisk and broad, and it is hard to take its account, especially as subjects to it.

But literature and art come to our rescue because they always:

1. Reveal what is going on in society before the society even knows itself.
2. Enable the reader/observer to figure out the dynamics that inhibit progress or freedom.

You can test this claim for yourself by thinking about Antigone or Hamilton. The Irish, like many other societies, especially those once in the colonial grasp, knew there was a vital connection—not an accidental one—between art and social change. Douglas Hyde, Patrick Pearse, and W.B. Yeats cajoled the nation into revolution through eloquence, mythmaking, and drama. The Irish have always embraced the link between what is and what is desired, and social change has always been anticipated and motivated by artistic expression.

That is why I am recommending two prominent arts festivals which take place in Dublin and speak to current issues in Ireland, bring global concerns into prominence and recognition, and position Dublin as a center of international global importance. Note, too, that they are supported and funded by the Dublin City Arts Office, because the local government believes the “arts are at the heart of Dublin’s cultural identity and quality of life” (https://www.dublincityartsoffice.ie).

International Literature Festival Dublin

Just ended—but an annual event—is the International Literature Festival Dublin, which celebrates the “city where books are treasured.” Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, one of fifty-three in the world, so designated because literature plays a vital role in the city and is brought into every educational setting, from schools to community centers. Walking James Joyce’s Ulysses, seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and taking in a play at the Abbey Theater are among the well-known highlights of visiting Dublin.

The International Literature Festival in Dublin is also celebratory—and fun—but it also challenges and reveals what is going on in society through the lens of contemporary writing. The festival takes place over ten days in May and offers over 200 activities from panels to performances to walking tours. Most of all, it brings together superb writers: this year, Marilynne Robinson, whom I consider among the most important contemporary American novelists (Barack Obama agrees), spoke, as did the magnificent Colm Tóibín. Their forthcoming novels are Genesis and Long Island, respectively.

Were that not tempting enough, Marlon James, Claire Messud, Jhumpa Lahiri, Marian Keyes, Andrey Kurkov, Amor Towles, and Kevin Barry were also on the program. Take a look at the 2024 program and sign up for information about forthcoming events at https://ilfdublin.com/whatson/festival/. Don’t imagine you would encounter staid panels or dry discussions—this festival energizes! And it is family-oriented.

Dublin Theater Festival

A second internationally prominent arts event is the Dublin Theater Festival. While the program will be announced in July, the dates are already set: Sept. 26 to Oct. 13. This festival, founded in 1958 and among Europe’s oldest, premiers major new pieces of Irish theater and always offers a bracing selection of international works that would be very hard to see otherwise. Every major Irish playwright has had works performed there, or, like Samuel Beckett, conspicuously withdrew them to protest external censorship.

Staged at various venues around the city, the festival also aims to leave its goers wise to Dublin’s many histories and economies. My good friend, prominent theater scholar Professor Marcia Blumberg from York University in Toronto, recounts the time she was part of a theater audience that was physically re-located from one part of the city to another. It is this kind of theatrical innovation and site-specific drama that marks the festival’s programming. Like the Edinburgh Festival, the Dublin Theater Festival is a mecca for drama and dance enthusiasts and theater scholars since it offers cutting-edge, compelling, and provocative works. If, like me, you love the works performed at St. Ann’s Warehouse, the Irish Rep, and the NY Public Theater, you will want to head to Dublin this fall. Information is at https://dublintheatrefestival.ie/.

Galway Arts Festival

Though not taking place in Dublin, I want to again hail the Galway Arts Festival, happening soon from July 15 to July 28. The craic is on with art installations, traditional music in bars, major acts under the Heineken big tent, and lots of theater. The Druid, one of the best theater companies in the world, will perform Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (https://www.druid.ie/).

I take it as a personal mission to stamp out fear of Samuel Beckett. He is hilarious and easily understood, at least viscerally. Endgame can be taken as an answer to the eternal question posed by The Clash: “Should I Stay, or Should I Go?” Unlike the punkers, Beckett knew indecision was endemic to the human condition. Endgame will no doubt transfer to Dublin in the fall, so that may be a second opportunity to see a play by the most important playwright next to Shakespeare, Brecht, and Chekhov. Information about other Galway Arts Festival events can be found at https://www.giaf.ie/festival/events. You can still get there! The train from Aer Lingus’ flight to Dublin takes you to Eyre Square, Galway, and directly to the festival in about two hours.