Tell us about how the Liverpool Irish Festival has evolved.
The Festival was established in 2003 to help start telling Liverpool’s stories, ahead of Liverpool’s bid for Capital of Culture (the bid was placed in 2005 and won for 2008). The founders and city recognised the enormous contribution Ireland had made to Liverpool’s character, culture and fabric yet found it less visible, in the cultural provision at city level, than seemed fair.
The Festival created a high point and celebration for the great work that was happening at community level. It began, really, with music, but from there it has grown to try and reflect the great breadth of Irish creativity; past and present. In recent years, it has also adopted a representational voice to help challenge assumptions, promote tolerance and inclusion, overturning assumptions and battling ignorance towards Irish people in Britain.
How we handle Liverpool’s Irish heritage and the understanding of migration and re–homing, has a direct impact on how we understand our city and the challenges others face. As an evolving and transformative population, we feel proud to honour the influence and impact Ireland has had here and the way in which diaspora communities retain and celebrate their Irishness.
What do you see as the aims of the Festival?
Our strapline is “bringing Liverpool and Ireland closer together using arts and culture”. Arts and culture are the vehicles we use to bring communities together. We have a responsibility to tell and share the Liverpool, Liverpool Irish and Irish stories. In my personal opinion Irishness –
or any heritage – is like a rope; every individual strand makes that rope strong and united, whatever their own dimensions. Frayed edges are caused by a loss of communication or conflict and it is our responsibility to try and reconnect them to take their place in the rope.
We use arts and culture to help with that easing and allow the rope to flex and keep itself supple. Without this, the rope becomes a stick; hard and immovable.
What do you think have been some of the high points from past events?
High points all depend on the vantage, don’t they? Seeing the community dancing at a céilí and at the Museum of Liverpool with Armagh Rhymers was a joy, but I also love seeing emerging talent. Watching audiences be blown away by the likes of Sue Rynhart or Lisa O’Neill; engaging in the Flan O’Brien prints by Deirdre McKenna and bringing their instruments to play–alongs have all been wonderful.
Something I am remarkably proud of, was the It’s the Travelling Life exhibit (pictured above) we created with the Liverpool Irish Traveller group – I would love to extend this work and carry on building our relationship. I was also very pleased with Liverpool’s commitment to assisting Paul Dowling with his White Paper about diversity (race and sexuality) inclusions within the Diaspora Policy, which were successful.
What role do you think culture plays in keeping people connected during this time of the pandemic?
If heritage is the hard evidence of our background (genes and structures), then culture is our collective intellectual and social achievement. It is our way of connecting through ideas, customs and social behaviours, but also our way of continually surprising each other with new aesthetics and perspectives.
Culture is a flexible concept that helps us stay connected whilst we grow.
Why is it important to you to have a form of the festival go ahead in 2020?
Identity theory, hurt surrounding Brexit and the need for connection have not gone away as result of Covid–19; in fact, if anything, they have been thrown into stark contrast. Those who were already isolated are likely to be more so now and those who were on the brink will have been forced further into the shadows.
The complete redistribution of funds to emergency and frontline areas negates the consistent work we have all being doing to prevent hardship and in creating hope. I would like the Festival to act as a bit of light in the gloom; a connection that allows people to think about their lives, connections and heritage to enable them draw on their findings, to create positive actions and invest in activities that make them happier.
Accessing creativity – whether through cooking, talking about a film or reading a book – is a wonderful way to pass time, learn things accidentally and spend time with others. The Festival is an opportunity for all of this.
What are your plans for events this year under the Covid–19 restrictions?
We have just gone live with our (mostly) online programme. Each event connects with the theme of “exchange” and we have a number of events that allow audiences to speak directly with makers.
Our headline event is our work with Patrick Kielty (pictured right) and the Commission for Victims and Survivors, which considers how exchanges have affected conflict and peace. Come and see us!
Any message for those who would normally attend the Festival’s events?
Have a punt. There is very little to lose and a whole community and artistic conversation to gain. Come and be in the online world with us and, if you like it, buy us a coffee!
- The Liverpool Irish Festival runs from 11–25 October, full details HERE.