Boyfriends is a theatre performance following a three-month affair between two anonymous men. Boyfriends, charts the ups and downs and roundabouts of a modern ‘situationship’. This production is presented as part of the LASTA festival, a unique, youth-led national arts festival with programmes created by young curators chosen through a competitive annual open call.
The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature – featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature – featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
Domestic Abuse experts from Haven Horizons, Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid, and Reclaim the Agenda examine the destructive impact of coercive control and discuss ‘Five Books That Could Save Your Life’ with Sarah Harte, Irish Examiner columnist. The event is presented in collaboration with National Women’s Council of Ireland.
Mother Tongues’ Language Explorer workshops provide a unique creative experience for parents and their children based on storytelling, play, visual arts and music. While the workshops will be guided in English, we encourage families to embrace their home languages. This workshop with Fernanda Ferrari, multidisciplinary artist and workshop facilitator, focuses on the crafting of vintage toys with multidisciplinary artist Fernanda Ferrari. Unleash creativity using simple everyday materials, make friends from all over the world, and create a special bond with your child through the magic of art-making.
From Colombia to Ireland is a documentary screening and discussion on human rights, indigenous and farmers' fight for land and life, and Irish corporate responsibility, presented by Extinction Rebellion Ireland and TCD Environmental Society
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality are delighted to commission award-winning writer Áine Ní Ghlinn to translate into Irish the original highly successful stage script The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II. The Irish language translation includes new poetry in Irish by writer Áine Ní Ghlinn and a translation of At Summer’s End by Féilim James.
MEN IN MOTION is an evening of three athletic and hilarious dance pieces, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in the Abbey, Edinburgh Fringe and New York, presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre on tour to Ballina Arts Centre, Mayo; Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford, and Ramor Arts Centre, Cavan. Artists include John Scott, choreographer and dancer, Boris Charrion, dancer and Vini Martins Araujo, dancer.
Open mic night is an evening featuring live poetry and music relating to themes of social issues, human rights, social justice, and solidarity presented at Curve Ball, Button Factory, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin on Thursday 16 October 2025, 7-10.30pm. The evening features special guests presenting curated poetry and music and is open to anyone who would like to sign up to perform.
The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature – featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature – featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
This walking tour explores the architectural and social landscape of Rathmines and Ranelagh through the lives of four revolutionary women — Constance (Countess) Markievicz (1868–1927), Dr Kathleen Lynn (1874–1955), Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, and Grace Evelyn Gifford Plunkett (1888–1955) — who lived, worked, and resisted in Rathmines and Ranelagh during Ireland’s struggle for independence from 1916 on.
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality are delighted to commission award-winning writer Áine Ní Ghlinn to translate into Irish the original highly successful stage script The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II. The Irish language translation includes new poetry in Irish by writer Áine Ní Ghlinn and a translation of At Summer’s End by Féilim James.
Join us for a series of creative multilingual workshop for families with children three to six years hosted by Mother Tongues and conducted by artist Margot A. Jones who is a puppeteer, performer and facilitator living in Co, Wicklow. Mother Tongues’ Language Explorer workshops provide a unique creative experience for parents and their children based on storytelling, play, visual arts and music. While the workshops will be guided in English, we encourage families to embrace their home languages.
Dublin City Council are unveiling a plaque in memory of Deirdre O’Connell (1939-2001), an actor, teacher and director, founder of the Dublin Stanislavski Acting Studio, 1963-2001 and founding member and Artistic Director of Dublin Focus Theatre from 1967 until 2001. Launch by Councillor Ray McAdam, Lord Mayor of Dublin.
A screening of the film Mother City and panel discussion on land and housing in Dublin and Cape Town, presented by Front Line Defenders in partnership with Community Action Tenants Union. Exploring Cape Town's history with Apartheid, the story follows a social movement over a few years fighting for affordable housing to make the city more inclusive for people of colour. The event aims to spark discussion and draw parallels between housing issues and movements in Cape Town and Dublin, and more broadly, Ireland.
The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature – featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
This walking tour explores the architectural and social landscape of Rathmines and Ranelagh through the lives of four revolutionary women — Constance (Countess) Markievicz (1868–1927), Dr Kathleen Lynn (1874–1955), Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, and Grace Evelyn Gifford Plunkett (1888–1955) — who lived, worked, and resisted in Rathmines and Ranelagh during Ireland’s struggle for independence from 1916 on.
Language Explorer – Out of This World Workshops are a series of workshops designed for curious young explorers, presented by visual artist Paola Invernizzi. The sessions provide a unique creative experience for parents and their children based on storytelling, play, visual arts and music. Language Explorers is Mother Tongues’ award-winning programme, designed for children aged 3 to 6 and their families.
The Journey is a powerful and emotionally charged play exploring themes of migration, survival, betrayal, and resilience presented by Clondalkin Tower Drama Group at the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality at 30 Sandycove Road, Dublin on 18 October from 3 to 4pm. Through intense dialogue, raw emotion, and layered storytelling, The Journey sheds light on the lived experiences of migrants navigating uncertainty, trauma, and hope in their search for safety and belonging.
A live interview presented by Front Line Defenders on the life and work of Human Rights Defenders Natalia Estemirova, featuring her daughter Lana Estemirova, presenter of the Trouble with the Truth podcast, and working for the Justice for Journalists Foundation. Lana Estemirova talks about her book ‘Please Live: The Chechen Wars, My Mother and Me’ and the story of her mother, Natalya Estemirova, who was a human rights defender murdered in Chechnya for her human rights work in 2009.
Following a successful international tour to Greece, Germany and Spain, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Sandycove for two performances only. The Art of Trees is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature, featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
MEN IN MOTION is an evening of three athletic and hilarious dance pieces, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in the Abbey, Edinburgh Fringe and New York, presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre on tour to Ballina Arts Centre, Mayo; Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford, and Ramor Arts Centre, Cavan. Artists include John Scott, choreographer and dancer, Boris Charrion, dancer and Vini Martins Araujo, dancer.
In partnership with Open House 2025, Smashing Times offer a guided tour and talk in the new Smashing Times space titled “Architecture and Activism: What values do we embed into the spaces we leave behind?”. The talk explores how we are making innovative use of an intimate space in an inclusive, accessible way and explores what future heritage looks like when it embeds a human rights approach reflecting on justice for all. Presented by Freda Manweiler.
Around the world, communities are resisting destructive extractive projects that threaten their ancestral lands, access to water, livelihoods and the planet. In this live panel discussion, the woman Human Right Defender Grecia Eugenia Rodríguez Navarro, from the Zacatecas Mining Conflict Observatory, Mexico will share her testimony of resistance and resilience from the front lines.
Following a successful international tour to Greece, Germany and Spain, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Sandycove for two performances only. The Art of Trees is a live multidisciplinary performance reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature, featuring theatre, poetry and movement.
Join us for the grand closing celebration of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival with an unforgettable evening of music, conversation and refreshments. Enjoy a fantastic and vibrant evening of music with CAS – the acclaimed trio of Sebastian Luthers, Carol Scott, and Andy McMenamin. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes ranging from Connaught to Auvergne, CAS weaves intricate melodies and spirited rhythms into their music, creating a unique sound with a blend of original and traditional Irish music that is both authentic and fresh.
Enjoy two special broadcasts of the Arts and Human Rights radio show for the seventh annual Irish Arts and Human Rights festival featuring interviews, chat and discussion on all things arts and human rights. The show features interviews with guest speakers and artists from Ireland and across the world celebrating all the action from this year’s Irish Arts and Human Rights festival taking place in Ireland from 10 to 19 October 2025.
Join us for a series of creative multilingual workshop for families with children three to six years hosted by Mother Tongues and conducted by artist Margot A. Jones who is a puppeteer, performer and facilitator living in Co, Wicklow. Mother Tongues’ Language Explorer workshops provide a unique creative experience for parents and their children based on storytelling, play, visual arts and music. While the workshops will be guided in English, we encourage families to embrace their home languages.
Enjoy a magical performance, as we regale you with storytelling, poetry and music reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature
Enjoy a magical performance, as we regale you with storytelling, poetry and music reflecting on trees and forests, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature
Workshop: Tuesday 26 May, 9.30am-12.30pm; Wednesday 27 May, 11am-2pm; Thursday 28 May, 11am-2pm. Open to all female-identifying, registration required.
Belonging Open Poetry Session, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.
Creative Writing Workshop conducted to support and facilitate collaboration between artists, creative practitioners and local communities in Uíbh Ráthach
A must visit on the Skellig Coast of the Wild Atlantic Way
Discover the Eighth Wonder of the World, an immersive exhibition at Valentia Island Cable Station
Launch and talk on using the arts to promote human rights, diversity, and equality for all
Walking Tour celebrating Women Changemakers in Irish History
Walking Tour telling Stories of Irish People Who Stood Up for the Rights of Others
Sustainable event management training workshop and talk exploring eco-friendly practicess for organising events
celebrate the launch of Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal with creative readings, artist talks, fun and chat
Join us for live music at Frank’s Bar & Bistro at the Kerry Coast Hotel, Cahersiveen
A must visit on the Skellig Coast of the Wild Atlantic Way
Discover the Eighth Wonder of the World, an immersive exhibition at Valentia Island Cable Station
Walking Tour celebrating Women Changemakers in Irish History
Walking Tour telling Stories of Irish People Who Stood Up for the Rights of Others
Join artist Mary Moynihan for a poetry reading and thought-provoking talk on her poem The Standing Stone at Glanleam, exploring ancestral voices and how they continue to speak to us in the context of human rights
Join us for live music at Frank’s Bar & Bistro at the Kerry Coast Hotel, Cahersiveen
Tune in for a special festival edition of the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio Show!
From the Forest to the Ocean Solo Exhibition with Guided Tour, Artist Talk + Poetry Reading
September brings together new and existing works by gallery artists and new artists working across a wide range of media and cultural backgrounds.
Tune in for a special festival edition of the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio Show!
Three-Day Palestinian Cultural Day Festival (25–27 September 2026), celebrating Palestinian culture through art, music, food, education and community events
A high-energy dance work for virtuosic male dancers, combining street-dance energy with Broadway, jazz and Afro-Brazilian styles.
A visual exhibition using photography, personal stories and immersive imagery to highlight avoidable and preventable blindness and the importance of accessible eye care.
GOAL NextGen, with THINKHOUSE and designers and artists Farouk858 and Helen Steele, reimagine the Irish flag as a symbol of welcome, belonging, solidarity and community.
Visual artist Hina Khan works creatively in Darndale with older adults from the Golden Years Senior Centre Programme
Visual artist Hina Khan works creatively in Darndale with young people from the neuro-divergent group Lighting Up the Spectrum.
Guest Speakers | Artist Talk and Poetry Reading | Exhibition | Live Performance | Refreshments
A multidisciplinary installation and live monologue presented by Peace Bridges International and Udeido Collective.
A guided coastal, storytelling walk from the iconic Forty Foot Bathing area in Sandycove along the seacoast to the Roger Casement statue in Dun Laoghaire and back again.
A song writing workshop with Colm Quearney, songwriter, musician and workshop facilitator, exploring the history and power of songs that have supported human rights movements.
A national solidarity march organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, featuring speakers, music and chants.
A march and rally organised by the Derry Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
A live monologue performance from Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part II by Mary Moynihan
This event features extracts and reflections from Mahvash Sabet’s memoir Open Wide the Doors, documenting her imprisonment in Iran.
An evening of poetry and spoken word with acclaimed Irish poet and spoken word artist Emmet O’Brien, including performance and informal conversation about his creative work.
An applied-theatre and participatory workshop led by Ekaterina Schalmann and Evdokia Romanova (aka Dunia)
An interactive evening bringing artists and audiences together to discuss peace, equality and human rights through contemporary artistic expression.
A dance work by John Scott with music by Ryan Vail for dancers Mufutau Yusuf and Salma Ataya.
An inspiring practical theatre workshop with internationally acclaimed theatre-maker Frédérique Lecomte from Théâtre & Réconciliation, Brussels, Belgium.
A documentary about Indigenous communities in South Papua and the impact of the National Strategic Project on land, livelihoods and culture.
A live improvised performance created by participants in the Theatre for a Shared Humanity workshop, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A
A community arts workshop using discussion, spoken word, creative writing, storytelling and performance to enable participants identify issues and rights that matter to them and turn ideas into creative expression.
Green Imaginings is a creative gathering exploring connections between European environmental policy, creativity and citizen action.
This panel discussion looks at how political systems reflect or fail to reflect the diversity of the societies they serve.
An autobiographical performance by Renate Dujaković combining comedy, physical theatre, storytelling and photography.
The Irish in Resistance During World War II pop-up installation features 12 storyboard artworks by Mary Moynihan, each telling the story of an Irish person who resisted fascism and totalitarianism and stood up for the rights and dignity of others during WWII.
Ciara Hayes interviews journalist and author Clodagh Finn, author and lawyer John Morgan, and writer, poet and artist Mary Moynihan.
Silent is the touching and challenging story of homeless McGoldrig, who once had splendid things. But he has lost it all – including his mind.
Visual Artists Róisín Kane and Elizabeth Bennett work with primary school children to explore the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A one-day showing of Mary Moynihan’s solo exhibition combining photography, poetry and film inspired by physical landscapes and seascapes and their connection to landscapes of the soul and the deep interconnectedness of life — from forests to the ocean.
Artist Mary Moynihan discusses the imagery and stories behind From the Forest to the Ocean and shares a selection of her original poetry
Join filmmakers Kirsty Fogarty and John Connors for a special screening of two powerful short films exploring human experience, dignity and human rights.
BOOKED OUT
A curated programme of short documentaries from Irish and international creators celebrating independent filmmaking and socially engaged storytelling.
This event has been cancelled due to illness.
An evening celebration of independent and emerging short filmmaking, featuring a curated programme of short films.
An award-winning solo dance work questioning notions of place, belonging and otherness.
A guided walking tour exploring stories of resistance, struggle and human rights activism in Bray, from the Anti-Apartheid movement and Aboriginal solidarity campaigns to recent climate action.
Walking Through Women’s History 1916–1923 is a guided storytelling walk exploring the lives of four revolutionary Irish women
Join us for the premiere of Trócaire’s powerful new documentary film, End Fossil Power, followed by an inspiring panel discussion on climate justice and the transition to a clean, renewable future
An Irish-language evening with Laoighseach Ní Choisdealbha, a poet and writer and The Arts Council Scríbhneoir Cónaithe Gaeilge at Dublin City University (DCU), and Joe Phádraic Ó Fátharta, writer.
Presented by Front Line Defenders, this open mic night celebrates poetry, music, solidarity, human rights and social justice.
BOOKED OUT
Enjoy one of Dublin’s most beautiful seascapes blending dramatic coastal views and spectacular scenery with captivating stories
Enjoy a unique guided walking trail along Scotsman’s Bay, from Sandycove to Dún Laoghaire and back
A workshop and performance by multidisciplinary artist Aoife Ó Tiompánaigh, presented as part of the inaugural Smashing Times Artist Residency Programme.
Writer and artist Mary Moynihan is in conversation with renowned human rights defender Mary Lawlor about the vital role of defending human rights today.
Kiz Rutherford presents an exhibition of intimate and affirming portraits of members of Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community, alongside an artist talk and live portraiture sittings.
Celebrate the Irish Arts + Human Rights festival finale with an unforgettable bilingual evening of music, song, verse, and conversation.