Made by 12 people in Dublin with artists Claire Halpin and Colm Keegan. This exhibition of personal objects, stories and poems asks what do we choose to remember, and why? The Archive Within Us is an exhibition of personal histories, made by a group of people in Dublin in collaboration with visual artist Claire Halpin...
Come see the beautiful early eighteenth-century of Edward Worth (1676-1733), a Dublin physician who bequeathed a magnificent collection of books to Dr Steevens' Hospital. Tours at noon on each Open Day will include the ‘Librarian’s Choice’. Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the festival. 26 and 27 September; 3, 4, 10 and 11 October Tour times 11:00...
**Please note the change of date on this walk due to an unforeseen weather warning in place for the original date of 27 September. Tickets are still valid for the new date of 11 October. Please cancel your tickets or let us know if this is not suitable for you. A long, exciting walk around...
This photographic exhibition about the recent excavations in St Canice's abbey and churchyard will open on Tuesday 26 September and run for the remainder of the festival. It will be open to the public during library opening hours: Tuesday 26 September – Saturday 14 October A 15-min talk on the St. Canice’s Photographic Exhibition by...
This exhibition aims to showcase the historical significance of Dublin Port and its impact on the city’s development over time. Through a carefully curated selection of maps from the Dublin Port Archive, visitors will embark on a visual journey through the centuries, exploring the growth, transformation, and importance of Dublin Port. The exhibition will be...
A lecture by Dr Michael O’Neill FSA (Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries) author of ‘An Architectural History of the Church of Ireland’ (Church of Ireland Publishing 2023). No booking required.
Through Dublin Festival of History, join tour guides at the National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts & History at Collins Barracks on a variety of engaging family tours exploring the Museum and its collection. Discover the journey of Collins Barracks in ‘From Barracks to Museum’, learn about Ireland’s military and revolutionary history in ‘Recovered Voices’...
In April 1998 the Good Friday or Belfast Agreement was signed, largely bringing an end to The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The author, journalist and BBC NI’s former Political Editor Mark Devenport reported live on the lead-up and signing of the Agreement and has spent the last 25 years exploring the highs and lows of...
This talk by Dr Murat Şiviloğlu (Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College Dublin) will introduce the often-overlooked relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Ireland. Though they seem to exist in disparate historical spheres, Dr Şiviloğlu will delve into the intricate connections between them. Utilising first-hand accounts, he unveils the perspective that Ottoman intellectuals and...
**Waitlist only** 2023 marks the centenary of the birth of the writer Brendan Behan. Raised in Dublin’s north inner city and with strong connections to Dublin’s tenements, Behan is regarded as one of the greatest Irish writers and poets of all time. In 2000, Peter Sheridan directed Borstal Boy, inspired by Brendan's 1958 memoir. Sheridan...
Joe Brady and Paul Ferguson will reveal that maps are huge repositories of information and tell much about the times in which they were created. This lecture explores some lesser-known maps of Dublin selected from a larger project tracing the history of the city in maps. Included will be that produced for the funeral of...
Dublin City Council and Four Courts Press present Spectral Mansions, an illustrated talk by Dr Timothy Murtagh which charts the transformation of Henrietta Street and the surrounding area from an elite residential district into one renowned for its deprivation and overcrowded slums between the years 1800 and c.1914. The talk investigates the nature and origins...
Who was Seamus Ennis? When was the Seamus Ennis Road in Finglas given its name? And what other events took place in the area at the time commemorating a local hero, who was born in Finglas in 1919? All will be revealed in this illustrated talk by Dublin City Council Historian in Residence, Dr James...
A historic or antique map is an object of beauty, nostalgia, and importance. It can help to create links between the physical and conceptual places in which we live, both those of the past and today. The maps reflect the extent of knowledge at a certain time and exhibit the overall development of a country...
**Booked out** On 31 October 1973 a hijacked helicopter landed in the prison yard at Mountjoy. It stayed there very briefly and when it took off again, it had three Provisional IRA prisoners on board: Seamus Twomey, Kevin Mallon and J.B. O'Hagan. Dublin City Council Historian in Residence, Dr Mary Muldowney will talk about the...
June 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's visit to Ireland. The trip was a personal defining moment for him, in a summer of defining moments for his presidency. The talk by U.S. historian Cecelia Hartsell will discuss President Kennedy's trip to Ireland that summer and will feature the video of the...
Our history often hides in plain sight. We travel roads, pass laneways and street-signs without appreciating the events that may have happened here in the past. A photograph found in an archive illustrated just this, as Historian in Residence, Cathy Scuffil investigated the background to the image, taken in the Crumlin area of Dublin just...
Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, for a lively and interactive discussion on how the Irish Civil War was depicted on film, both at the time in newsreels, and subsequently in the films Michael Collins and The Wind That Shakes the Barley, and how this has affected our understanding of the period. This event is...