The Tailteann Games, a sporting and cultural festival, were re-imagined and modernised from the ancient games of the same name and held for the first time in 1924 as Ireland's version of the Olympic Games. The games helped to showcase the Irish Free State's newly gained independence and were a celebration of Irish identity shortly...
In August 1951, the Gold Coast National football team came to Ireland, playing matches in Belfast and Dublin. The match in Dublin took place in Dalymount Park on Wednesday, 22nd against an FAI Amateur XI. This presentation / talk will recall events of that match from news reports. Reference will also be made to some...
**Apologies, registration full** Blink and you’ll miss it... Tucked in-between St Ann’s Church, and the Mansion House on Dublin’s Dawson Street, how many times have you walked past the Royal Irish Academy and not realised it? Learn about the architecture and early beginnings of this eighteenth century Georgian townhouse. From there we will trace the...
Take a tour of the largest terraced house on Merrion Square, learn about its history, see the latest exhibitions and discover the work of the Irish Architectural Archive. No booking required.
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 Dublin City Historian in Residence Cathy Scuffil, investigated the background to the image, taken in the Crumlin area of...
Join historian, Sean J Murphy, for this talk about Charles Lucas. Dr Charles Lucas (1713-1771) was a Protestant or Anglo-Irish Nationalist whose statue stands in Dublin’s City Hall. He was a predecessor of Grattan and Flood and indeed in some respects a precursor of the republican United Irishmen. Following his election to Dublin Corporation as...
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of one of Dublin’s most beloved artists. Harry Kernoff was a devoted lover of Dublin City and expressed his passion in his paintings, sketches and drawings. Vitor Vicente will be projecting some of them on the screen and discussing their relationship to Dublin history and the...
Travel back in time at the National Print Museum to experience what it was like to be a young apprentice printer. Learn about Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, and how newspapers, books and posters were created before the arrival of today’s computers. Discover what printing has to do with the Titanic, the...
14 Henrietta Street is a social history museum of Dublin life, from one building’s Georgian beginnings to its tenement times. Uncover the 300-year history of 14 Henrietta Street and the people who lived here, through songs performed by our award-winning tour guides. Hear the stories, relive the memories and sing along to the songs that...
*Apologies, this event has now been CANCELLED due to unforeseen circumstances* Join Vawn Corrigan for a slide show presentation exploring the fascinating history of the Aran Sweater. From its rocky island roots it eventually spanned the globe to become a symbol of Irishness. Feted on the catwalk, worn by celebrities yet always homely, the classic...
Dublin City Historian in Residence, Katie Blackwood, will give an illustrated talk on the history of tourism in Dublin. Tourism is an industry that packages and sells culture and national...
In this illustrated talk, Ruth McManus discusses the development of housing policy in Ireland from 1922 to 1932. This first decade after independence saw the new government tackling a major...
Oral history helps bring the past to life by recording the voices, experiences, stories and memories of people. In this introductory session members of the Oral History Network of Ireland...
This lecture by Dr Joan Kavanagh, will highlight the transportation narrative of the Grangegorman Female Penitentiary from 1840 to 1852. Its development, the policies that were put in place for...
This talk is aimed at those who are considering or have researched some topic of local history and would now like to make their findings available to the public. It...
**Apologies, registration full** Nicola Pierce, author of The Spirit of the Titanic and Chasing Ghosts, an Arctic Adventure, discusses her latest novel of historical fiction, In Between Worlds, the Journey of the Famine Girls. The book was inspired by the Earl Grey Scheme: between 1848 and 1850, over four thousand orphaned Irish girls, aged 14...
The Edward Worth Library will be holding a number of Open Days during Dublin Festival of History. Come see our beautiful early eighteenth-century Library and enjoy our latest exhibition: 'The...
Pearse Lyons Distillery invites you to explore the rich history and heritage surrounding the former St. James Church, and how it came to be a distillery. Discover the stories of...
