The Art of W/Rights

The Art of W/Rights


A literary Carnival of Arts and Rights


Outdoor Site-Specific Shows, Cinema Screenings and Creative Conversations promoting equality, compassion + rights. Rathfarnham Dublin


In the Open – Faoin Spéir

Funded by The Arts Council

As part of The Art of W/Rights, two parks in Dublin – Rathfarnham Castle Park and St Enda’s Park -play host to a carnival-style performing arts spectacle by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality featuring site-specific outdoor shows of theatre, film, literary pop-up installations and creative conversations, promoting equality, compassion, and human rights in changing times.  
Live performances take place at Rathfarnham Castle Park from the 18 to the 24 October 2021 for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival and live performances and outdoor cinema screenings will take place at the Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park in April 2022.

Live Promenade Outdoor Shows, Cinema Screenings and Creative Conversations at Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, April 2022

Smashing Times and partners are delighted to present a programme of indoor and outdoor arts events at Pearse Museum and St Enda’s park, located in Rathfarnham, South County Dublin.

Following on from the success of presenting 38 performances of 3 original site-specific outdoor shows at Rathfarnham Park as part of The Art of W/Rights at Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival 2021, Smashing Times are delighted to present The Art of W/Rights in the grounds of Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park on the 9, 10 April and the 15, 16, 17 and 18 April (Easter Week) 2022. Engaging with the unique historical setting of Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park, Smashing Times present stories of people from Irish history, with links to the area of Rathfarnham, who spoke out for the rights of others.

Enjoy a magical walk-in-the-park performance as we regale you with storytelling, poetry and song. Watch a film screening and book display and engage in creative conversations inspired by figures of the past associated with Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park and Rathfarnham who influenced the shaping of Irish society. Join with us as we create a ‘gathering space’ to celebrate stories and creative conversations on visions of a better world, reflecting on of equality, compassion and rights in changing times and asking what kind of Ireland we want to live in today.

A Walk on the Wild Side – Walks in the Park at Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park – 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18 April 2022, daily 1pm and 2pm

Enjoy a guided promenade performance as you meet and greet with characters associated with Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park and Rathfarnham down the years. A Walk on the Wild Side is a walkabout performance featuring monologues, poetry and song inspired by the life stories of Anne Devlin, Robert Emmet, Sarah Curran, John Philpot Curran, William Butler Yeats, and three women from the Pearse family, Margaret (Brady) Pearse, mother to sisters Margaret Pearse and Mary Brigid Pearse. Listen to our stories while taking time to reflect on nature and the varied wildlife and river itself to be found in St Enda’s Park.

Outdoor Cinema Screenings and Creative Conversations at Pearse Museum, 15, 16, 17 April 2022, nightly 7pm

Join us for the magic of an indoor, pop-up movie night at The Halla Mór, Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park, for three nights only over Easter weekend, Friday 15 April, Saturday 16 April, Sunday 17 April, nightly at 7pm.  An Halla Mór is transformed into a walk-in movie theatre where you can enjoy high definition screenings of short films on stories of women in Irish history and their relevance today.  This event feature film screening of short films followed by a post-show talk with guest speakers speaking on equality, diversity and LGBTQI+ rights.

Dates and Times for Walks in the Park and Cinema Screenings

Saturday 9 April 2022, Walks in the Park, Performances at 1pm, 2pm

Sunday 10 April 2022, Walks in the Park, 1pm, 2pm

Friday 15 April 2022, Walks in the Park, 1pm, 2pm. Cinema Night, 7pm.

Saturday 16 April 2022, Walks in the Park, 1pm, 2pm. Cinema Night, 7pm

Sunday 17 April 2022, Walks in the Park, 1pm, 2pm. Cinema Night, 7pm

Monday 18 April 2022, Walks in the Park, 1pm, 2pm. 

Performance live at St Enda’s Park. Hosted by Smashing Times

Booking Required. Tickets: €12/10 available here: https://smashingtimes.ie/whats-on/

Walks in the Park and Cinema Screenings Meeting Point: Outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception.

St Enda’s Park, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.  D16 Y7Y5

The Art of W/Rights partners are Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, South Dublin County Council Arts Office, Rathfarnham Castle, Pearse Museum and the Office of Public Works – Rathfarnham Castle Park and St Enda’s Park.  The Art of W/Rights is funded by the Arts Council, South Dublin County Council Arts Office,  the Creative Ireland programme of South Dublin, Erasmus+ and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV). 
The programme generates a celebration of literature, visual and performing arts and discussion on key themes of equality, compassion and rights in a time of Covid.

Open call: Stories and Poems inspired by people who have helped shape our lives

We are all formed and shaped by the people who pass through our lives. As part of The Art of W/Rights Smashing Times conducted an open call for stories and poems based on the theme ‘people who inspire or have shaped us in some way’.  A selection of 100 stories and poems will be displayed in a ‘digital book’ online via the Smashing Times Virtual Arts Gallery telling stories of people who have inspired us, a person from the past or present who has inspired or shaped us in some way and who has promoted equality, compassion and rights in our lives and the lives of others.  The digital book containing the stories and poems will be projected onto the walls of Rathfarnham Castle in 2022 with a page of the book turning very slowly every few minutes.

In keeping with our themes of equality, compassion and rights  and the metaphor of a river (both parks feature ponds and have strong connections with rivers) where we can create a flow of equality, compassion and rights in the wider society,  we are asking  citizens to tell us stories of the people who have helped carry you forward,.

The stories and poems collected are a celebration of all that is good and kind in the world, a reflection on life and a celebration of connections made, the interconnectedness of people as no person is an island.  They are stories of people in the past and today who shaped society in a positive way. Our aim is to create a ‘gathering space’ to celebrate stories of care and compassion and to act as a catalyst to generate creative conversations on visions for a better world.
Please submit using the online form.  Submission is free.

Why Walks in the Park – A Walk on the Wild Side!

Dublin is a city of incredible energy and excitement, with heritage and history around every corner.
The Smashing Times Walk in the Park series are an artistic celebration of Ireland’s rich cultural heritage, sharing stories of artists, human rights defenders, citizens and forgotten heroes, men and women from history and today who stood up for the rights of others.

Parks are freely used by members of the public for walking, running, chatting, meeting friends, enjoying nature, playing sport, walking with the family, walking the dog,  spending some ‘alone’ time, doing yoga and so on. Our aim is to utilise the park space as a centre for arts and creativity intersecting with sustainability  linked to equality, rights and diversity.  Smashing Times are committed to working in local settings and our aims for parks are:

  • To build a co-creative space in the parks of Dublin
  • To utilise the park space for positive exchanges and community-building linking the arts to community development, sustainability and equality, human rights and diversity
  • To create an inspirational model for  community parks and gardens combining the arts with creativity for sustainability

As Ireland opens up once again, it is important to celebrate Dublin as a cultural and creative hub for the arts and human rights.  Storytelling is a key way to  share Dublin and Ireland’s rich heritage, while showcasing the talent of our local artists and performers, and also sharing knowledge about why promoting human rights is an important aspect of contemporary society.