Smashing Times Arts & Human Rights Radio Show on Dublin South FM
Broadcast 8 July + 15 July 2026, 6-7pm
In Conversation: Mary Lawlor, Human Rights Defender
On today’s show, presenter Mary Moynihan is sharing news about the first-ever Kerry Arts and Human Rights Festival taking place on the 18 and 19 July 2026 in Cahersiveen and Valentia Island, county Kerry, along with details of two open calls for this year’s annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival taking place from the 9 to 18 October 2026.
The feature guest interview is with award-winning human rights defender Mary Lawlor who has dedicated her career to defending the rights of people around the world. Mary formerly served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and is an Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights in the School of Business at Trinity College Dublin. She is a former Director and Chair of Amnesty International Ireland and is the founder, former Director, and former board member of Front Line Defenders, an organisation dedicated to protecting human rights defenders at risk worldwide.
News
The first-ever Kerry Arts and Human Rights Festival takes place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July in Cahersiveen and Valentia Island on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, along the wild Atlantic Way. Presented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and The Barracks Heritage Centre, the festival brings together storytelling, arts, human rights and community, celebrating changemakers from Kerry and across Munster who championed peace, equality and social justice. Visitors can enjoy exhibitions, guided storytelling walks, artist talks, poetry readings, discussions and museum displays. Tickets are available at smashingtimes.ie or on the door.
The eighth annual Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival takes place from 9 to 18 October 2026, presented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, Front Line Defenders, and a range of partners.. Applications are now open for two festival opportunities at smashingtimes.ie The first open call invites artists, organisations, community groups and individuals to apply to include an event in this year’s festival programme. If you’re planning a performance, exhibition, workshop, talk, screening, reading, community event or other creative activity, taking place between 9 and 18 October, you can apply to have this event included in this year’s festival. Applications are open until Friday, 7 August 2026. Apply here
The second call is for Voices of Peace, a multidisciplinary exhibition running from Wednesday 30 September to Sunday 29 November 2026 at the Smashing Times Visual Art Gallery at 30 Sandycove Road, Dublin. Supported by DLR County Council, the exhibition is open to established and emerging visual and multidisciplinary artists living or working in the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown area. The deadline is Friday, 7 August, 2026. Apply here
The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show is broadcast every Wednesday 6-7pm with Dublin South FM with each episode available as a podcast. The show is hosted by Mary Moynihan, writer, poet, creator of art and photography and Artistic Director, Smashing Times along with co-host Freda Manweiler, Producer, Smashing Times. Enjoy an engaging hour of in-depth discussions focused on all things arts, culture and human rights. Tune in to Dublin South FM 93.9, or listen online at www.dublinsouthfm.ie. All past episodes can be listened to here.
Mary Moynihan, MA, she/her, is an author of novels, poetry, films and plays, from Dublin, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays, poetry and short film scripts, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing, poetry and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual international Arts and Human Rights festival.